Catch Me If You Can
by Swanna
Summary: To pay off his debt, Kyoko's father sold her to marry a man she can't stand. Who could blame her for escaping all the way to Japan as a runaway bride? She made the best out of it when she started working at L.M.E. as a Love Me section member. But Cupid seemed to have other plans for her when Ren and Sho both started fighting for her attention. Why couldn't a girl just get a break!
1. Chapter 1: Their First Encounter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now. However, some of the side characters in this chapter were created by me.

 _ **Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)**_

 _Rated_ _ **Teen**_ _for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes._

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Catch Me If You Can**

 **By: Swanna**

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Chapter 1: Their First Encounter**

 **Guam, USA**

 _Character determines fate_ , Kyoko chanted to herself silently as she strolled along the bare sidewalk that would eventually lead to the exquisite clear green-blue ocean down at the beach. Once, the words had meant very little to her, but now she was convinced the motto had given her courage.

And the will to escape.

All thanks to her good-for-nothing father, Kyoko had to leave New York. It was the city that she'd been raised in since she was six. Now she had to make her way to the opposite side of the world, where Taira Murasame could never find her. There was no way in hell Kyoko would agree to this outrageous arranged marriage with the former gangster.

The first time they met was on the subway train five months ago when Kyoko was on her way to work. It'd been just like any other work day for her. Murasame had been accompanied by two rather voluptuously attractive blondes at that time. The three of them had sat by the train's entrance, flirting and horsing around not having a care in the world. Kyoko had been standing by a nearby pole, minding her own business when she saw him nearly knocking over an elderly lady. Fortunately for the senior, Kyoko had reacted fast enough to catch her when she fell; but unfortunately for Kyoko, that day her life took a turn for the worse.

" _It's one thing that a big man like you lacks the courtesy to give up your damn seat for an old lady! But at least act your age and stop fooling around like an immature idiot without any regard for the people around you! That woman could have been seriously hurt because of you!_ _"_

The impulsive lecture that Kyoko gave Murasame after thundering up to him in anger had sealed her fate. Instead of lashing back at Kyoko in full force as she had been expecting and bracing herself for, he'd claimed that he was _amused_ by her since no woman had ever been daring enough to speak to him that way. Talked about masochism! One thing had led to another, and then he made a random declaration that they should totally hookup and he'd asked her out.

 _I just messed with a man who has a few screws loose,_ had been the instant thought that had crossed Kyoko's numb mind while she had stood stock-still from shock. When they'd arrived at the next stop, Kyoko had dashed out of the train in a jiffy as if her life had depended on it. There were definitely way too many creepy weirdoes on the subway nowadays.

Just when Kyoko had thought that was the end to it, things had turned from worse to disastrous. Roughly a week later, somehow Murasame had sniffed out Kyoko like a stalking hound and he had found out where she'd worked. He had been visiting the French Café almost every time when she'd been scheduled a part time shift, regardless of it being day or night. She'd had a suspicion that the man had bribed her coworkers and bought the information from them. Of course the owner had also been ecstatic with the business that he had brought to her café too. But Kyoko was far from being impressed. She was appalled to the core. The dreadful memories of those days still gave her goosebumps.

"Argh, why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut that day?!" Kyoko shouted out loud, grabbing her head with both hands in frustration. Tourists and passersby threw her weird looks for the sudden exaggerated outburst; they quickly scattered further away from a potential nutcase.

"Get a grip, Kyoko," she muttered to herself with a sigh. "You're here to visit Guam for the last time. Who knows when you'll have the chance to come back again after today?"

Since Japan was only a little over two hours of flight time from here, Kyoko had figured it wouldn't hurt to have this small detour before she boarded the plane and flew to Tokyo in the morning.

Guam had always been her favorite travel destination. The first time Kyoko had come here for vacation was on her fifth birthday. When her parents had been still attached and in love with each other. She'd grown fond of the glittering green-blue ocean water since then. After her mother had abruptly left home without so much as a word, Kyoko's father had decided to move from Japan to New York and started anew.

Kyoko wouldn't say that her childhood with her father had been oppressive, but it definitely hadn't been smooth sailing either. It'd been quite a rough ride for both of them to make ends meet. Having a compulsive gambler as a father didn't help one bit at all. But every few years she would use the extra funds she'd managed to save from her three part time jobs to come here on a short vacation as a rare indulgence. She just couldn't keep away from the big ocean's waves and the rippling of the water for long.

With a renewed sense of purpose to enjoy her last vacation, Kyoko re-adjusted her soft pink tote bag over her shoulder and quickened her pace down the sandy path. Yes, nothing could stop Kyoko from taking joy in her last experience in Guam. Not the shameless, self-proclaimed fiancé of hers nor the worthless father who had technically _sold off_ his daughter for money to repay his mountain of debts. Kyoko was determined to ensure that no one could ruin her last day here!

"Do you want to have a taste of my drink? It's a pineapple flavored cocktail!" An approaching teenage girl offered to the tall, blond-haired young man in sunglasses next to her. They were speaking in Japanese. Kyoko reckoned they were probably tourists much like herself.

"No, try mine. It's a coconut drink, much more refreshing for hot weather like this!" The other girl around her age protested, clinging onto the other side of him.

The man being sandwiched in the middle seemed disinterested as the two cute girls fought desperately for his attention. Kyoko could never understand why girls would make so much fuss over a man. It was quite a stretch to picture herself fighting over a man without dignity like that. Then again, who was she to judge? She had zero experience regarding this subject matter, she had yet to even have her first kiss with a guy.

"No, drink mine instead!"

"Here, try it," the girl on his right brought up the straw to his lips, urging him to take a sip. "I promise you will like the taste for sure."

"Hey, that's cheating! Now you will have to drink mine too, Sho!"

 _Sho_ …

Kyoko's ears perked up at the mention of the accursed name as the trio approached closer. It reminded her of a childhood friend that she'd had when her family had still been living in Kyoto before her parents' marriage meltdown. To be honest, she actually wouldn't even deem him as a friend now that she thought about it.

The boy, Shotaru had always seized every passing opportunity to mock and ridicule her without end. Sometimes he'd go too far with his insults and made her bawl her eyes out for no apparent reason before he'd be satisfied. That little jerk was more like a schoolyard bully who just happened to live next door to her at the time. He had been lucky that Kyoko had been too young and weak to fight back. But it had been an eon since she had come across another boy with a similar name. It certainly brought Kyoko back down memory lane. Though it was a bad memory lane that she would much prefer to forget.

Out of instinct, Kyoko pulled down the hood of the white sweatshirt that she was wearing to cover her face as she walked past the trio. She was still on US territory after all, she could never be too cautious towards her surroundings. Not if she didn't want to get caught by Murasame and be dragged down the altar as his unwilling bride. She would be able to drop her paranoia and take it easy once she reached Tokyo tomorrow. Her life would start afresh in twenty-four hours from now, but until then she would make sure to enjoy every precious minute of Guam's beach without exposing herself.

 **X X X**

Sho hunkered down under the shades of the beach umbrella near the seaside shore. He had been staying at this beach for nearly two hours now to film his new music video. The crew would have finished filming by now if they didn't have to wait for the last model to arrive on sets. He was growing so impatient and bored that he could hardly concentrate anymore.

"Sho, are you hot?" asked the teenage model, Asami. She held up the portable electronic hand fan to his face, blowing the faint cool air at him.

"Are you thirsty? Do you want some cold water, Sho?" the young singer, Chika offered as she handed him a bottle of spring water. He reached for the bottle and took a greedy gulp. Sho felt instantly refreshed and hydrated as the cold water went down his throat.

"What's taking them so long?" he muttered under his breath with a frown, forcing himself to wait forbearingly for his manager, Shoko to get off her mobile phone.

With the cell pressed snugly to her right ear, Shoko paced back and forth with exasperation. The annoyed expression on her face told Sho the person on the other line was probably not giving his manager the good news that she'd been anticipating. Sho took the chance and allowed his eyes to wander over her curvy figure appreciatively. For a woman in her late twenties, Shoko was a real bombshell with a killer body. He had always preferred mature women over teenage girls. Not only would they have more sexual experience and know how to please their men in bed, they had greater confidence in themselves and weren't afraid to communicate what they wanted from the relationship.

In other words, they wouldn't play mind games with him.

Shoko finally ended the call with a dejected sigh and turned to them. "It's no good, Mieko is being held up in traffic near the airport. Her manager said it would probably take them another hour to get here."

Sho cursed in silence. He already knew all this waiting would make him lose his edge. Waiting hour by hour wasn't his style, especially when his career in the entertainment business was fast-paced. _Someone_ had damned well better clean up this mess or at least come up with another plan.

"Let's continue with the shooting," Sho ordered, rising to his feet as he quickly decided to take matters into his own hands. The two girls followed his stance like lost puppies and stood up too. "We don't need three girls in this MV anyway."

"Yes we do," their middle-aged director answered as he walked up to the group. "We need the third model otherwise it will create a deviation to the entire storyline."

"Then just pull a random girl off the street to model for us. There are so many girls around here anyway," Sho suggested, his patience was wearing thin.

"We can't just randomly ask any girl. We need an Asian girl for your video."

Sho wasn't a big fan of directors with stubborn mindsets who couldn't be more adaptable in urgent situations. But as an artist in showbiz, he also understood the reasons behind their behaviors. Many directors were set on preserving their perception and creativity in their productions. As long as end products turn out successful and could take Sho to the top of the music industry, then he wouldn't mind fulfilling their requirements and worked with them.

"Asian girl? What about that one over there?" Stated a cameraman next to the director, pointing his finger at the girl standing further away by the edge of the surf.

From afar, Sho saw an Asian girl with long raven hair dressed in a pair of faded blue denim shorts and white hoodie. Immediate disappointment marred his face as he gave her a quick evaluation; average height bordering short by his standards, from the side profile she had an ordinary face with nothing outstanding about her facial features, the slightly oversized hoodie was covering her chest so he couldn't assess her figure properly. But he doubted there was much underneath for him to appraise anyway.

She did have a nice pair of long, slender showgirl legs however, Sho decided as he watched her daintily testing the water with her bare feet. Head tilted slightly to her side, the girl seemed to be having a good time by herself; the beaming smile on her face was a sign of bliss. He was captivated for a moment. She had the smile of an innocent child that would bring warmth and touch one's heart. Before he even knew it, the corner of his lips lifted slightly. It was surprisingly contagious.

"Perfect!" The director's spirit soared at the sight of her. "She is perfect! Let's get her on camera!"

Both the director and the cameraman rushed over to the oblivious girl, while the rest of the group including Sho followed close from behind. When they approached closer, the girl's awareness heightened and she dropped her smile. From up close, she looked really young. Sixteen or seventeen at max, probably around his age. She also wore no makeup and there was a healthy glow to her flawless skin.

"Wh-what the hell is going on? Who are you people?" She spoke in fluent English, her honey brown eyes widened from shock.

Assuming they were dealing with a local citizen, the crew threw each other a glance before the director made an attempt to explain their situation with his poor, broken English.

"Sorry, sorry. Not mean scaring you. M-my name, Daisuke Fujimoto. I-"

"You can speak in Japanese, I speak your language too," the girl offered as soon as she heard his name. Her Japanese dialect was quite natural, perhaps she was just a visitor from Japan. But as soon as she noticed the cameraman, her shield went up again. "Whoa! Is that a camera?! Turn that thing away from me! I don't want to be on TV!"

For some odd reason, she freaked out and put on her hood quickly. Her hands were pulling both sides of the hood to fully conceal her face.

The director spoke again, "We came from Japan and we're here to film Sho Fuwa's music video but our last model couldn't make it here and we-"

"Who the hell is _Sho Fuwa_?!" Her loud shout was muffled under the hood.

Sho looked at her in shock. Had this girl been living under a rock? How could she not know who he was when he was trending as one of the top musicians in Japan right now!

"What a sheltered girl, how could she not have heard of you, Sho?" whispered Chika, evidently horrified by the offhand comment too.

"It's fine, Sho. We don't need someone so dense to model in your music video," Asami added.

"I don't know who you're talking about and I certainly don't give a rat's tail about this Sho Fuwa either. Just point that thing away from me before I wrestle it out of your hands!" She advanced towards the cameraman, completely serious about pouncing on him.

"The camera isn't even rolling," the cameraman protested, growing frightened from her violence.

Now Sho was seeing red. It was one thing if she was an ignorant idiot who hadn't heard of him before. It was her loss and she clearly had no idea what she was missing. But how dare she speak of him that way! Sho couldn't contain his anger anymore as he stepped forward to block the girl from going after the cameraman.

Just as he thought, the girl was quite short since her height just barely reached past his chest. She flinched under his intense glare and slowly cowered away as he towered over her. "Who do you think you are? You're just one stupid girl who happened to be the only Asian female around here."

She blinked, the cease between her delicate brows indicated she didn't understand; she was baffled. "What?"

"You think a stupid girl like you with such an average look can model in _MY_ music video? You're not even fitting to play the troll in my next video."

The two girls behind them snickered at the insult. Sho heard a barely audible gasp escape her lips. "What the hell are yo-"

"Not only do you have an unattractive face with absolutely no sexiness at all," Sho continued, cutting off her sentence. He deliberately peered over the small opening of her hoodie revealing little of her cleavage and smirked. "You have a chest as flat as a board."

Sho must have hit the mark when the girl's expression turned deadpan. With her shoulders squared and back straight, she removed her hood and zipped the sweatshirt all the way to her chin to block his view. The death glare that she was giving him now could turn a man to dust. Sho almost wanted to take a step back but he decided to stand his ground. What could a petite girl like her do to him anyway? He obviously thought too soon because before Sho could react, she kicked him in the shin hard, causing him to yelp in pain.

"No! We can't afford to have any bruises on Sho's body before filming is over!" The director cried out in distress. Screw that man for only caring about that when Sho was in obvious pain right now!

"Sho! Are you okay?" Shoko asked with concern while the two other girls were already hovered over him.

"You can't go around kicking people whenever you like, you savage girl!" Asami shouted in anger while the girl just leisurely walked over to her tote bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Her demeanor was much calmer and placid when she turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Good luck with your music video now, _Sho Fuwa_."

Sho watched her retreating form with his jaw hanging in disbelief. What the fuck just happened?! He prided himself on his cool image. He couldn't believe this girl had the nerves to attack him in front of the filming crew, humiliating him in this way.

 _Just don't ever let me run into you again_ , Sho fumed inwardly as he made an impending promise to himself. _I will definitely pay you back tenfold for what you've done today, the next time I see you again you're dead!_

 **X X X**

 _What a superficial dimwit_ , Kyoko ranted in silence as her mind recalled the heated dispute she'd had with that _Sho Fuwa_ this afternoon. Why was she not surprised that guys with the name Sho or Shotaru turned out to be world class jerks.

Even up until now, she still wasn't quite sure what the heck had really happened. Once again, she'd been lost in her own little world and taken pleasure in the breathtaking scenery at the beach. The next moment she'd been surrounded by a group of complete strangers with a camera shoved right at her face. She couldn't risk making her appearance on TV. If she did, Murasame would be able to track her down easily so of course she'd reacted the way she did!

Alright, so maybe she may have overacted just a bit, but who could blame her given the dire circumstances she was in? At the very least, Kyoko didn't think she deserved the string of rude insults coming from that idiot. Yeah, she may not be as attractive as the two girls by his side, but she didn't need the likes of him to unravel her physical flaws.

"And I certainly don't have a flat chest either," she mumbled grudgingly to herself, peeping down at the top of her hoodie without thinking.

Her train of thought was interrupted when the elevator door glided open. She stepped out into the reception lobby of the hotel that she had been staying. Thanks to the bunch of weirdoes, Kyoko had decided to coop herself up in the hotel room and wait it out, hoping they would depart by nightfall.

 _What a waste of my only day here_ , she thought to herself, annoyed. So far, nothing seemed to have gone her way.

As Kyoko passed by the steakhouse bar restaurant that was connected to the hotel, she noticed it was jam-packed with diners. More guests, seemingly most of them were women, were waiting in queue to enter and the lineup extended all the way out into the main lobby. Kyoko wondered if the dining place was holding some special occasion tonight. Oh well, this would be even better for her. If everyone was here, then it meant no one was down by the shore at this hour. She would have the whole beach to herself! With a gleeful grin, she headed towards the exit of the hotel.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe he's really here!" Kyoko heard a girl squeal when she passed by the row of women standing in line.

"Me too! He's even more handsome in person!"

"Is that really him though?"

"Of course it's him! He is SOOOO hot I'm going to die!"

"Me too!" The girls shrieked in exaggerated excitement. It sounded like they were screaming bloody murder.

Kyoko scowled, her ears couldn't take any more of this abuse so she quickened her steps towards the door and headed straight for the beach. It was pitch black out here. In the glooming night sky, the tiny stars gathered around the neighboring silver moon. Just as she had hoped for, the seashore was now vacant.

She took in deep breath of salty ocean air. The rugged coastline was austerely beautiful, yet somehow lonely. Gazing at the ocean, she stood there, her mind naturally ruminated upon her family.

Kyoko had been through many hardships since as young as her lingered memories could remember. It had all started when her parents' marriage had been on the verge of a complete breakdown. Oftentimes her parents had fought on numerous occasions right in front of her, over inconsequential reasons. Neither party had been willing to give in to their stubbornness and make concessions. It had been a battle of wills. Her father had always ended up being the first to storm out in anger just to have his personal space. Ironically in due time, the arguments had become the easier part for a mere six-year-old to handle. It had been the aftermath moments when Kyoko had been forced to face her mother's wrath head on that had shaken her every time.

Time and again, her mother had screamed at Kyoko and pushed her away as if she was one of their biggest mistakes. But Kyoko had still tried to do everything that she could in hopes to make her mother proud. The young Kyoko had refused to believe that her mother had never loved her, and she had never been regarded as a worthless child who could never do anything right by her mother's standards. Kyoko had hung onto those embellished beliefs so naively. Every night she had wished to the twinkling stars like the current ones now that tomorrow would be the day when she would put a smile on her mother's beautiful face.

Of course, that wish had never come true.

Perhaps one day her mother had woken up and finally decided that enough was enough, it was time to cast away her old life, her family and start anew. Kyoko was abandoned by her mother at the age of six. Maybe her father was having difficulty coping with his failed marriage, or it may be because he wanted to escape other problems he'd had going on in his life at that time, her father had become a compulsive gambler shortly after they had moved to the States.

Faint laughter from afar reeled Kyoko's bittersweet thoughts back to reality. She turned her head in the direction of the hotel. The open bar outside the balcony of the restaurant was occupied with diners drinking and chattering their night away.

Kyoko shook her head and gave herself a few painless slaps in the face, dislodging the remaining wistful thoughts of her parents from her mind. She was here to have a good time just like the others, so she was determined to make that happen.

Glancing over her shoulders to make sure she was the only person out here, Kyoko removed her sweatshirt and unzipped her shorts before stepping out of them. After folded the clothes into a neat pile, she placed them atop of one of the nearby huge, jagged rocks. Standing in her bra and panties, she felt the surf purling around her toes. Kyoko slowly ventured further out as the gentle surge of the sea swayed her back and forth. There was no way that she would travel all the way to Guam and not to take full advantage of the beautiful shore.

With a contented smile, Kyoko took a deep breath before diving straight into the body of calm water.

 **X X X**

Ren attempted to concentrate on the conversation with his fellow colleagues. It was proven to be a challenge when both men's subject of discussion rested solely on the runway model, Masako Kusatsu.

Ren had accepted this photoshoot project for a new men's cologne that was about to hit the market in three weeks. It was seldom for him to be accepting side jobs outside of L.M.E. but he'd owed the company's founder a personal favor in the past. So when the multi-millionaire had approached Ren and requested him to represent their new product, Black Angel as the exclusive spokesperson, he figured it was time for him to repay the debt.

The small crew and Ren just arrived to Guam early this evening. Their plan was to start the photoshoot session by the shore at the crack of dawn tomorrow, from sunrise to sunset. Therefore tonight they'd decided to lay back and relax at the bar before they begin their work the next day. But it appeared to be a poor decision on their end when he was currently being encircled by waves of his female fans outside.

"Good thing we've reserved the open bar out here in the balcony tonight, huh?" The photographer, James chided when he turned to Ren, finally switching the topic away from the female model.

Ren gave a courteous smile, one that had taken him years of practice to mask his emotions. His expression revealing nothing more than friendliness and exercised calmness as usual.

"That was very considerate of Nakano-san to plan ahead of time and have everything arranged for my manager and me," replied Ren, feeling genuinely grateful to the company owner's thoughtfulness on the meticulous arrangements on this trip.

"Tsuruga-san is always so popular around the ladies," the photographer's assistant commented. "Even Kusatsu-san seems to have great impression of you on your first meeting today."

Again, the conversation somehow swerved back to Masako Kusatsu. Ren had to suppress the resigned sigh that was threatening to escape his lips. He almost wished this social gathering could come to an end soon enough so he could retreat back to his hotel room and retire for the night.

"Kusatsu-san is just being cordial towards her fellow colleague," there was the smile of Ren's again. "I am looking forward working with Kusatsu-san."

"Are you really, Tsuruga-san?" A husky female voice asked. The men turned their heads and looked up. There stood Masako Kusatsu, wearing a low cut, cross-back navy blue dress that hugged her body snugly. As a professional model, she certainly had a refined taste in her choice of attire that showed off her feminine curves to perfection. "Or are you just being polite right now?"

"Kusatsu-san! So glad that you could join us!" The assistant stated with evident excitement. "And I must say, you look gorgeous tonight!"

Both men quickly shifted their chairs aside and made room for Masako to join them. She took the cue and sat next to Ren, her gaze meeting his.

James cleared his throat and stood. "We're going over to the bar and order another drink. Would you two like something else to drink?"

"I'm good with my red wine. I still have to wake up early for tomorrow's shooting," Ren declined politely.

"Alrighty then, we will be back in a moment. You two can get to know each other while we're gone. We need some chemistry from both of you during tomorrow's photoshoot," James laughed with a wink, then gestured to his assistant to follow after him.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the photographer was up to. He was trying to create some alone time for Ren and Masako. If only people would just stop acting on their own accord and do such unnecessary things.

"I've been waiting for an opportunity to work with you for so long, Tsuruga-san," Masako began, leaning slightly closer to his side. "You have no idea how excited I was when I was offered this job."

"I'm am excited to work with Kusatsu-san too," Ren replied with a genial attitude.

"You can call me Masako, and if you don't mind, I would like to start calling you Ren too."

"If you wish," he replied. Even if he had declined, it was not like it would've prevented her from calling him by his first name anyway. "But I personally would still prefer to address you with a more respectful greeting if you don't mind."

Masako's giggle was soft and womanly. "People said Tsuruga-san is a real gentleman. I think I can see why they'd say that. Let's make a toast to our new collaboration as partners, _Ren_."

She held up her drink, her smile was all sensual. Ren brought his glass of red wine close to hers. "To our new partnership."

Their glasses met, making a soft ' _clink'_ sound. Her sharp gaze never once left his face as she drank from her glass. It was unmistakably clear what she wanted from Ren. Many times even when he made a deliberate effort to avoid showing any form of encouragements towards women, they'd still come onto him despite his futile attempts to keep his distance. Masako was classy, yet sexy, but she didn't appeal to Ren the way she did to most men.

"Speaking of building up our chemistry, I don't really like to sleep in hotel rooms by myself," Masako inched even closer now, her voice sounded huskier. She placed a key card onto the surface of the table, gliding it with her fingers until it was in front of Ren. "Would you care to join me for the night?"

Not wanting to waste her time any further, Ren decided to cut to the chase and made sure she understood that he wasn't interested.

"I only share my bed with women that I'm interested in and you're not one of them," he answered coldly, sliding the key card back to her and rose to his feet abruptly. "Now if you will excuse me, Kusatsu-san."

Ren ignored the stunned expression on the runway model's face. She was obviously feeling humiliated and was not used to having men turn her down. He used the exit by the far side of the balcony that led to the beach and walked out. Feeling slightly drained, Ren told himself that he was just going to take a walk around the shoreline to take a breather before returning to his hotel room. With the beach being unused at this hour now, it would be all the more reason for him to luxuriate in the private tranquility.

Tomorrow's photoshoot may not advance as smoothly as Ren hoped. Not if Masako purposely chose to spawn conflicts between them based on what happened tonight. But Ren liked to give people the benefit of the doubt, and he predicted she would at least demonstrate some level of professionalism towards her line of work. This was her own reputation that would be on the line after all. Ren highly doubted anyone to be foolish enough to jeopardize their own names and tarnish their reputation.

Each step he took, his shoes sunk into the minuscular white sand, leaving a path of footsteps behind. Ren stopped in front of the body of water and looked up at the full moon in the night's sky. The warm heat in the air brought out the earthy smell of the tropical soil. It felt pleasant and relaxing out here as the soothing sound of waves calmed his mind.

He figured he could continue to relish in this peaceful moment longer, when suddenly a shadowy figure slowly emerged from the water right before him. A young girl, with her eyes closed, gradually rose as she visibly took a deep breath of the sultry air. Her long black hair was wet and slicked back. The peach-colored lacey bra and matching panties conformed to her feminine curves; it outlined her slim hips and revealed the fullness of her breasts. It was even sexier than an actual bikini, Ren observed.

But it was the sensual, seductive way of how she moved her hands that he found irresistible. The rapid tempo of his own breathing startled him. With her eyes still closed, she used her hands to push her locks further back, away from her damped cheeks. Then she glided her fingers downward gradually until she was touching her chest.

Ren made no attempt to disguise his scorching gaze that leisurely roamed from her wet hair to her upper thighs hidden in the foaming surf. He watched as the girl opened her eyes slowly and her mouth fell open in silence. The incredulous stare on her face told Ren that she was shocked to find herself not alone at this beach.

"Ren?" A voice called out to him in the dark. "Ren? Is that you over there?"

Ren averted his gaze for a fleeting moment and turned to the owner of the voice. It was his manager, Yukihito searching for him. He must have been worried since Ren had left the bar without saying a word first. When Ren returned his attention back the shore once again, he noticed that the girl was already gone.

"Ren?" Yukihito jogged up to him. "I've been looking around for you. What are you doing out here by yourself?"

Ren couldn't help but to scan around the beach, wanting to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He only had two glasses of wine, there was no way he should be under the influence of alcohol and seeing things.

"Ren, are you okay?"

He turned to his manager and blinked. "I'm fine. I came out for some fresh air, sorry to have worried you."

"Then let's head back, it's getting late. You have an early start tomorrow, so you should get some rest," Yukihito suggested, turning on his heels to head back towards the hotel.

Ren took one last glance out into the quiescent ocean before following after his manager.

 **X X X**

 **AUTHOR NOTE:**

Hello peeps, thanks for reading my new Skip Beat story! I've been wanting to write this fic for two months now but I've never really gotten the chance to figure out the storyline so there was a delay, but here I am with the first chapter!

I really like Skip Beat, I've known about this manga years ago but I've refused to start reading it because I was hoping it would end someday then I enjoy the whole series at once. Unfortunately fourteen years later, the manga is still ongoing…so I've decided to give in. But as soon as I started reading, I couldn't stop! I've become such a huge fan that I've even gone out and bought the whole set of graphic novels from Chapters lol. Yes, I must have the series for collection.

Special thanks to **Waffle** , my usual beta reader for editing my story, thank you!

Any comments, constructive criticism and feedbacks will be greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think of chapter one so far. Thanks in advance!

See you all next time.


	2. Chapter 2: Reminisces

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now.

 _ **Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)**_

 _Rated_ _ **Teen**_ _for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes._

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Catch Me If You Can**

 **By: Swanna**

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Chapter 2: Reminisces**

 **Kyoto, Japan**

"What's wrong, Kyoko-chan? Why are you crying again today?"

Squatting, Kyoko looked up at the blonde-haired boy standing above her, shielding her from the blazing bright sun. Her vision was blurry from crying so much. His eyebrows were a little squished together, but it was seeing his gentle smile that made her want to cry even more.

"Cornnnnn…!" Kyoko sobbed harder and louder with hiccups. "M-mommy and daddy were yelling at e-each other aa-again. Da-daddy left home and mommy pu-pushed me away…"

"It's okay, Kyoko-chan. My parents argue sometimes too, it's normal for all parents to argue," he said as he crouched down in front of her, and began patting her on the head.

"B-but mommy said that if it wasn't be-because of me, she would have had a dif-different life instead…what did she mean by that?"

The wrinkle between his eyebrows grew deeper, but the prince-like smile never once disappeared from his face. "Your mom probably meant she is lucky to have you by her side. Otherwise her life would of course be a lot different, you know?"

Kyoko may have only been six but she could certainly tell a lie when she heard one. "Corn is lying! If th-that's true then why d-did she push me away?!"

"Sometimes after my parents argue, my mom would want to be left alone for a while and do some adult thinking in the bedroom by herself. Maybe your mom also wanted the same thing too."

Suddenly a tiny ray of hope was swelling inside her. Corn was always able to make her feel better. Kyoko breathed in deeply, trying to subdue her hiccups. "Re-really?"

"Yup. Don't forget that I'm four years older than you, so of course I'd know how adults think," he reassured with another pat on her head.

For some reason, Kyoko found the gesture soothing. It was something that her mother had stopped doing ever since Kyoko was old enough to remember. If only her mother could show Kyoko that she cared and was willing to protect her like Corn. Kyoko lifted her damp face and looked at the boy, his hand was still stroking her head like she was a pet kitten.

"Corn…?" Kyoko spoke again after a few moments of silence. She felt her lower lip quiver as she was about to make a bleak observation.

"Hmm? What's wrong now?"

"You're always here and listen to me when I cry…but when you leave with your daddy then you won't be meeting me at our secret garden anymore…"

His emerald eyes, the color of the clear green ocean, widened a little but he made a quick recovery. "That may be true, but I can still listen to you even if I'm not here with you."

"How?!" Kyoko asked, full of curiosity. She immediately inched closer to him.

Even though they had only met couple of weeks ago, he was her first friend. It would be incredible if she could keep in touch with Corn even after he went back home. Kyoko waited patiently for Corn to continue. She watched as he fished out something from his pants pocket.

"With this magic stone," he answered, revealing the blue stone in his palm. "I've casted a magic spell on it, so whenever Kyoko-chan wants to tell me something, whether it will be happy or sad, I can hear all your stories through this stone."

"Like talking on the phone without actually using one?!" Kyoko asked with a breathless gasp.

He grinned. "Sort of. I guess it's like a phone."

Kyoko brought her fists to her mouth, excitement was bubbling up inside. "And Corn can also tell me his stories, I will listen too!"

"I don't have a magic stone for myself..."

"Eh?!" She felt as if all her bubbles burst at once. "Why not?!"

"Because I only have enough power to cast a magic spell on one stone," disappointment laced his voice.

Kyoko's gut tightened. She knew exactly what he meant. Corn may be a fairy prince but he was still very young. There must be a limit to how much power he could summon to cast spells in a short time. She mustn't be so selfish and always depended on his magic. There had to be another way for them both to stay in touch.

"Then I will write to Corn instead!" Kyoko offered eagerly as soon as the idea popped into her mind.

"You can't write to me. I will be too far away. You can't send letters there."

"Oh," Kyoko slumped in defeat.

Corn and his father probably lived faraway in their magical kingdom that normal humans could not reach. So obviously regular mail could not be delivered to him. That meant she would never be able to see or talk to Corn again…

"By the way, there is another magic spell on this stone," Corn continued when he noticed Kyoko had stayed quiet for quite some time now. "Whenever you are sad, you just need to hold onto the stone and it will absorb all of your sadness, taking them away so Kyoko-chan can be happy again."

"Really…?"

"Yup. And look at the magic stone," he held up the stone and Kyoko could see the color change from deep blue to violet and then light blue. "It changes colors depending on the angle you look at it under the sun."

"WOOOOW!" Her eyes bulged with delight. "This is the best present ever! Thank you, Corn!"

"You're welcome," Corn replied, dropping the stone into her extended open palms.

"Then…when are you leaving?"

"On this coming Monday."

"Mo-Monday?! B-but that will only be three days away!" Kyoko felt like crying again.

"I know…but we can meet up again this weekend. I will tell my dad that I want to stay behind at our cottage while he goes to meet people so we can see each other for a few more days before I leave."

"But…it's Monday! It's too soon!" Her eyes were already brimming with new tears.

"Are you crying again, Kyoko-chan?"

"N-no…" Kyoko lied, spinning around abruptly so he couldn't see her face.

She didn't want Corn to think that she was such a crybaby but she couldn't control the urge to bawl at the top of her lungs. He would be leaving very soon and she already knew that she would miss him dearly.

"What am I going to do with you?" He sighed behind her. "Wait here, Kyoko-chan. I'll be back."

Kyoko turned to look over her shoulder and noticed that Corn had already vanished. "Corn? Cornnnn? Where are you?"

No response.

She took a walk around the open grass-field and continued calling out to him. "Corn, I'm sorry, I won't cry anymore. Please come out."

Again, there was no response.

After a couple minutes of nonstop shouting, Kyoko surrendered as she plopped down on a piece of gigantic rock by the small pond and took a break. She figured she would just have to wait patiently for Corn to come back to her like he had promised. For the next short while, the little meadow grew quiet and still. The only noises she could hear now were birds chirping on the trees and dragonflies flying around while making a deep buzzing sound nearby. She watched as occasional green leaves fell from tree branches and landed on the surface of the pond. With both fists supporting her chin, Kyoko stared at her own reflection on the rippling water.

Suddenly she saw Corn's reflection next to hers as he declared, "I'm back."

"Corn!" Kyoko spun around, feeling charged and relieved that he had finally returned.

"Look what I made you," he passed her the handmade item that he had been holding. Kyoko took a look at it and she became ecstatic. It was a gorgeous flower crown with a braided base of vines, decorated with small white and pink flowers.

"It's SOOOO pretty!" Kyoko beamed, bouncing up and down in joy. This was the first time someone had made her a flower crown. "Why are there only three pink flowers at the front?"

"Don't you think they look like the pink gems on a Princess crown?"

"It DOES!" She shouted in agreement. Corn gave a boyish chuckle and helped Kyoko to put on the crown.

"It looks nice on you," he complimented.

Kyoko stepped up onto the same rock that she had been sitting on previously and gave herself a spinning twirl. The skirt of her sundress flared out in a magnificent fluttering blur of brilliant soft blue. "With this flower crown, I now declare that I am the new Princess of this secret garden!"

The sweet smile returned to his face again. But it was when Corn suddenly bowed to Kyoko with one arm behind his back that she became speechless. His motion was just like what she had seen from all the gentle princes in her fairytale picture books.

"Your loyal servant at your command, Kyoko-hime."

At that moment, she had no clue why but her little heart was pounding frantically against her chest and her cheeks were feeling warm. Before Kyoko could even stop herself, the corners of her lips were slowly rising into a smile unknowingly. They continued to hold each other's gaze while soaking up the sun in that unforgettable mid-summer afternoon.

 **X X X**

 **Tokyo, Japan**

 _A dream_ , Kyoko thought as she stirred to the buzzing sound coming from the small alarm clock. She was hazily aware that she was in her small, bare apartment room. Still wrapped under the fluffy blanket from head to toe, she blindly searched for the clock with an outstretched hand in a feeble attempt to switch off the alarm. Instead, she only succeeded in knocking the clock over her bedside as it hit the carpeted floor with a mild thud.

 _Oh well, at least the alarm is turned off now,_ she groaned lazily before promising herself another five minutes in bed.

But even though she had intended to sleep in a little longer, Kyoko realized that her mind was too preoccupied for her to fall right back asleep. The dream of Corn definitely made her feel nostalgic for her childhood, but also regret. She'd never had the chance to bid farewell to her friend and say their proper goodbyes for the last time.

That had been the same weekend that Kyoko's mother had disappeared from home and abandoned their family. Kyoko had ended up not showing up to the arranged meeting that she'd had agreed to with Corn. Every now and then whenever she thought about that sorrowful moment in life, it would always bring about this tightness in her chest.

Kyoko flipped the blanket away from her head and drew in a deep breath. Fully awake now, she fixed her stare at the low ceiling. She still remembered the first time they met. Corn was visiting Kyoto with his father at the time and they were staying at their family cottage nearby. He'd been out exploring the woods when he had unintentionally ventured deep into the isolated meadow while Kyoko had been playing there on that same fateful day.

That humble, open grassland had been Kyoko's exclusive sanctuary whenever she'd wanted to hide and cry alone. No one had known about its existence. But she'd been grateful for the passing chance to have met her first childhood friend there.

For a mere ten-year-old, Corn had been such a considerate and altruistic boy who was compassionate towards others. He'd been very clever with his words too; whenever Kyoko had been upset about something, he'd always manage to say the right thing and make her feel better in an instant. Although their time together had been short-livened, Kyoko had really enjoyed every precious moment between them. She'd liked spending time with him. It had felt really nice.

Kyoko looked over at her bedside and reached for the small pink purse where she kept the _magic stone._ A few years back by chance, she'd discovered that what Corn had given her was a water sapphire stone. The fact that she had believed Corn was a fairy prince brought a sheepish smile to her face. How naïve of her…

Truth be told, she'd been a sucker for magic and fairytales ever since she'd been a child. Even though she now knew that Corn wasn't a fairy prince who could cast spells, Kyoko had still been keeping the stone with her at all times. It had become her most treasured memento; it symbolized their cultivated friendship.

"Good morning, Corn. I dreamed about your previous owner today," Kyoko spoke as she took out the blue stone, marveling at the coolness of the ore's surface. "I wonder why I was suddenly dreaming about that day. Maybe because I'm back in Japan now so it brought back some old memories of the past."

Kyoko rose from her bed and stretched both arms above her head, smiling. "Well, that dream is definitely a sign of me having a good day! Because I am starting off my morning right."

She'd grown into a habit of speaking to the stone she had named after its owner. It may have been silly but sometimes it really felt like she was conversing with Corn, just like in the old days.

With marked care, she secured the stone back into her purse and placed it next to her pocket watch. The cover of the watch had an image of a reddish pink lotus, with leaves arrayed with multiple tiny pink zircon, emeralds and rubies. The watch always seemed to glow with an inner light. It was an antique that had been given to her from a very close friend of her father's. They had told her that this gift was to welcome a new born to this world; a present to celebrate the arrival of a beautiful baby girl.

Memories of this family friend had all become quite a blur now, but Kyoko still remembered the nickname she'd given him - Caterpillar. For the life of her, she was uncertain of how on earth she had come up with that name for this family friend back then. Nevertheless, both the stone and pocket watch were her two most meaningful keepsakes.

Deciding that she had done her fair share of reminiscing for the morning, Kyoko dragged herself out of bed. She made a good use of the next fifteen, twenty minutes to wash up and get dressed for her part time work at a fast food restaurant. Right before leaving the bedroom, she gathered the two items and placed them in her white open tote bag.

Kyoko descended the stairs and was immediately greeted by her landlord's wife, "Good morning, Kyoko. Did you have a good sleep last night?"

"Good morning, Okami-san! I slept like a log yesterday and thank you for asking," she replied as she watched the plump woman carrying plates of food into the dining room. "Do you need help with that?"

"No, I'm good. Are you going to work now? Would you like some breakfast first before you go?" she offered generously.

"No, thank you. Okami-san, can you please tell Tashio that I won't be back from work until after six? I will be working overtime to cover an evening shift for my coworker today."

"I will let him know, but don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Kyoko felt very touched by the woman's genuine concern over her welfare. It had been years since someone had showered her with such a level of kindness.

"Please don't worry, Okami-san. I should be working hard while I'm still young so I can relax and play when I get old," Kyoko stated with a laugh. It had been her motto in life.

"That is the correct mentality to have," commented the tall, middle-aged man when he stepped out of the kitchen. "You must work hard when you still have the youthful energy now. If you fail to work hard while you're still young, then you'll need to work harder when you grow old."

Kyoko gave a hearty smile and nodded in agreement. Her landlord was a quiet and reticent man who disliked to talk much. The times when he had something to say, his words were usually full of wisdom. The couple weren't just her landlords, they were also Kyoko's employers of her evening job. They owned and ran a traditional Japanese restaurant named, Darumaya with Tashio working as the skilled chef.

As a matter of fact, this safe haven Kyoko was currently living at had two stories; an upper level with residential rooms, and a ground floor used as commercial space to serve customers. Reducing commute time, and the ability to just head upstairs and crash in bed right after a long night's work were just some of the perks in living above the restaurant. Another big bonus was the cheap rent that they charged her for the bedroom. At least Kyoko didn't have to work three part-time jobs just to cover her living expenses in Japan.

"Good morning, Tashio. Sorry, but I won't be able to help out at the restaurant until after six tonight," Kyoko stated with an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it. We will be fine without you," he gave a stolid response before leaving the room without another word.

His wife shook her head disapprovingly at his distant attitude and sighed. "Please don't mind him, Kyoko. Sometimes I really don't know what to do with that man."

Kyoko grinned. "Not at all. Tashio may look tough on the outside but I know he's actually very softhearted inside."

The women giggled together, soft enough so Tashio couldn't hear them. "Alright then, be safe on your way to work."

"I will. See you later tonight!" Kyoko bowed respectfully and waved goodbye to the woman, then walked out the door.

 **X X X**

The vibrant summer rays warmed the morning, with a light breeze blowing Kyoko's hair. She tucked the loosened strands of hair behind her ears. It was much shorter now, barely brushing past her neck. She had decided to change her appearance with a stylish cut, and dyed her hair to a shade of warm chestnut shortly after she had arrived in Tokyo two months ago.

To avoid being recognized and caught by Taira Murasame here in Japan, a complete alteration of looks was definitely in order. Even the hairdresser lady who had assisted Kyoko with the styling had been stunned by her full transformation afterward; it was quite a drastic difference for a simple cut and color. Kyoko had missed her long ebony hair but this change had settled her anxiety, giving her peace of mind. Compared to marrying a man she hated, this was a small sacrifice that she was more than willing to make.

As Kyoko was strolling leisurely down vacant street, taking in the fresh morning and her freedom, she passed by lingerie store. Looking at the luxurious, push up bras on the mannequins triggered memories of her shameful experiences in Guam.

 _I still can't believe I was seen semi-naked by a guy on that night,_ Kyoko scowled to herself, still in absolute disbelief at the appalling event. Just the thoughts of it made her cheeks burn.

It was shocking that death by embarrassment hadn't come to her right when it had happened. Fortunately it had been quite dark that night. Since she'd had a hard time seeing the face of the man who had seen her semi-nude, it meant it was highly unlikely that he would remember her too! In fact, Kyoko was overconfident that they would never meet again. The chances of meeting a stranger twice were surely a million to one.

Not that Kyoko was being a prude, far from that. She had been raised and lived in New York for years, where things like nudity and sex seemed much less taboo and more matter of fact. But deep down inside, part of the once traditionally shy girl still dwelled on. Kyoko preferred that the first time she undressed in front of a man, it would be with someone she'd love with all her heart and soul. That was if this person even existed, of course.

"Wait…why are you thinking about going naked _willingly_ in front of guys so early in the morning?!" Kyoko reprimand herself, facepalming in shame.

With a shake of her head to rid herself of any remaining impure and indecent thoughts, Kyoko turned around to cross the road hastily. She wasn't aware of an approaching black limousine that had made a quick right turn, rushing out from the street corner. It all happened in a flash; she heard tires skidding, and she tried to steer her body clear from the oncoming car, but her feet got tangled and she tripped backwards.

Kyoko held her breath and braced herself futilely for the fatal impact, but it never came. Curious, she opened her eyes that she hadn't even realized were shut. She found herself staring at a car's metallic grille only a few inches away from her face. Kyoko let out a huge breath, relieved.

"I'm very sorry! I didn't expect you to suddenly step out onto the road like that," commented the dark-haired driver when he got out of the car. His words were coarse, but there was an edge of concern in his voice.

"No, no. I'm sorry for crossing without looking first," Kyoko apologized as she tried to rise but her knees buckled, still shaken by the almost deadly accident.

She could practically see the headline on the newspaper; a runaway bride traveled from New York to Tokyo only to meet her death in a car collision.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, extending his hand to help her stand.

"I-I'm fine," Kyoko replied meekly and started crawling on her limbs towards the tote bag. Her belongings were scattered everywhere when she had dropped her purse earlier.

Kyoko heard the passenger door open and heavy footsteps coming towards her. The moment she looked up, she was caught completely off guard by the man's peculiar choice of attire. The mustached man in sunglasses was wearing a blue velvet tunic with white ruffle collar and cuffs; the velvet hat had a large silver feather attached. The pieces of fabric were trimmed with silver and black metallic braids, matching cape and…oh God, was that tights he was wearing?

 _Please tell me this man is on his way to a costume party,_ she thought to herself, half amused and half petrified. Realizing that she'd been gaping at him like a complete idiot, Kyoko quickly looked away. _Never mind that. Just keep your nose where it belongs, Kyoko. Last time you lured a stalker who wanted to marry you when you didn't keep your opinions to yourself._

Not wanting to loaf around in the middle of the road any longer, Kyoko hurriedly gathered her belongings and dumped them into her bag. From the corner of her eye, she spotted her pocket watch by the man's boot. Just when she was about to reach for it, the man picked it up in silence.

"Ah, that's mine. Thank you," she lifted her hand to him but he seemed to be ignoring her.

He examined the accessory with unexpected interest, which boggled her mind. Judging from his flamboyant yet extravagant costume and the lavish limousine, he was obviously rich. He ought to have seen fancier jewellery before that would have cost significantly more.

After an uncomfortable pause, Kyoko spoke again. "Um, sorry. That pocket watch is mine. May I have it back please?"

He finally lowered his head to look at her for the first time. Kyoko's initial reaction to his intense stare was fright. She bristled with it, and at the way he studied her face blatantly as if she had crawled out from under a rock or something.

"Wh-what?" A sudden sense of déjà vu washed over her. She was already dreading that history was about to repeat itself again.

"Sabastian," the man called out with his deep voice and turned at his heels to climb back into the car.

Panicked, Kyoko suddenly found her strength again to stand on her feet. She was about to chase after the man but the driver blocked her path.

"What the hell?! He just took my watch!" she shouted in anger before turning in the direction of the car. "You better give me back my watch before I call the cops on you!"

"Miss, please calm down."

" _YOU_ calm down! Don't tell me to calm down when you thieves stole from me in broad daylight!" she retorted, clenching at his collar with her fists.

The driver pried her fingers away with ease and took out a card from his pocket. "My Master has an important meeting to attend today and he has to be somewhere that requires his presence for the reminder of the day. Please come by the company tomorrow and my Master will meet you then."

He shoved the card in her hand and before she had time to react, he hopped back into the car.

"What?! Hey wait! Why do I have to go to his company to get back my watch?!" Kyoko boldly stood in front of the car, slamming her palms on the hood. These thieves would get away over her dead body! "I don't want to go! I'm not going, you hear me?! Just return my watch right now and I'll let the whole thing slide!"

Instead of acknowledging her angry threats, the driver expertly put the car in reverse and made an insanely dangerous u-turn while disregarding oncoming traffic. Dumbfounded, Kyoko could only watch with her heart in her throat as the car drove off in the opposite direction.

She couldn't believe what had just happened! Even if she went to the police, who in their right mind would believe a wealthy man would steal her watch?! They would probably think she was crazy and in turn charge her for filing a false report! Frowning, Kyoko took a look at the gold metal business card in her hand. It was so tacky and tasteless, as if that thief wanted to advertise his wealth to the world or something. The card was rather bare, engraved with only the words:

 _L.M.E. AGENCY_

 _LORY TAKARADA_

 **X X X**

 **AUTHOR NOTE:**

First of all, I really want to thank everyone for all the amazing support and motivation. I was truly overwhelmed by the number of reviews / favorites / follows that I've received for the first chapter of this story! Thank you, you guys are awesome.

I know there were a lot of background story in this chapter but I wanted to showcase Kyoko's connection with Ren. This fic will be based on a few elements from the manga / anime but overall I will not be following the general plots (otherwise it would be boring for you and me lol).

Please let me know what you guys think so far in terms of the content, writing, etc. I would love to hear feedback from everyone. I will try to update next chapter ASAP. Thanks in advance!

Have a great weekend and see you all soon.


	3. Chapter 3: Secret Affair

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now. However, some of the side characters in this chapter were created by me.

 _ **Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)**_

 _Rated_ _ **Teen**_ _for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes._

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Catch Me If You Can**

 **By: Swanna**

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Chapter 3: Secret Affair**

It was early before noon when Ren and Yukihito arrived at LME Company after his one hour interview with a journalist from Chic Times; a famous magazine that only covered fashion and entertainment from music artists and actors. Ren was a frequent subject in this monthly publication. In this upcoming issue, he was being interviewed about his guest appearance in an action crime movie where he played an assassin.

While acting in films could be more challenging since it was much more nuanced and fast paced than dramas, Ren still preferred roles in television. For one, there was always an overabundance of exciting and diverse roles for him to choose from. Secondly television characters tended to be more memorable since audiences would invest more of their time in a twenty episodes series in comparison to a two or three hour movie. Perhaps in the future he would become more interested in switching from TV to film, but for now he was quite content with his current choice as an actor in a drama series.

Presently Ren was on his way to meet up with the director, Takeshi Naito, to discuss the details of his upcoming role as the lead in a new series. Although it would be the first time Ren collaborated with this director, he'd heard many praises of him. Takeshi was rather well known for paying precise attention to detail and valuing the contribution of crew members. Ren respected individuals whose work was honest; individuals who were diligent and took their careers seriously. He was already looking forward to working with the man.

"This meeting shouldn't last more than an hour," Yukihito began, looking at his agenda book in hand while strolling next to Ren. "That should give us roughly forty five minutes to grab a quick lunch before we head to our next destination for the talk show interview."

"It would be fine even if the meeting extends longer than an hour, I am still full from this morning's breakfast," Ren tried his luck on him.

It wasn't his intention to skip meals so he could maintain his athletic physique. But with his compact daily schedule, it could be conveniently easy for him to skip a meal or put off eating. At times Yukihito would make sure to supply Ren with those healthy grab-and-go foods, so he would still eat healthily and regularly in those swamped moments.

"You are not talking your way out of eating, Ren. You will be eating lunch even if you're not hungry."

As expected from his sterling manager. Ren turned and smiled when he said, "Of course. Not when I have someone as responsible as yourself to look after my well-being, Yashiro-san."

Instead of feeling flattered, Yukihito narrowed his eyes slightly. "I don't know why but sometimes I feel it should be a crime for you to say such sweet words with that handsome face of yours."

Their brief conversation was cut short when they came to the door of the conference room and Ren knocked on it. A man in his early to mid-thirties with dark, curly hair greeted them at the door.

"Ren! I'm so happy to see you. Please come in," Takeshi stated excitedly and opened the door wider for them to enter. "How was your job in Miami last week?"

"It was great, we finished all the filming on schedule."

As they entered the room, he saw a relatively young girl around his own age sitting at the long, sierra cherry wooden conference table. She stood up immediately at the sight of him and bowed in respect.

Ren returned the polite gesture and bowed back before turning his attention to the director. "Did we arrive too early? I apologize if we are interrupting your meeting."

"Oh, please don't worry about it," Takeshi waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Come this way, let me introduce you. This is Shizuko Ibuka and she will be taking the leading female role in Love of Fortune."

"Greetings, Tsuruga-san," she said with a faint, shy smile. "It's a great honor to be given the opportunity to work with you."

"The pleasure is all mine," an upward curve touched Ren's lips.

It seemed to have an adverse effect on her when a subtle pink tinge rushed to her cheeks as she dipped her head to lower her gaze. Her honey-colored hair fell forward. The behavior was quite innocent.

"Come and take a seat first," Takeshi motioned them towards the table as he walked towards the coffee station. "Shizuko was also out of town last week and she's missed the group meeting with the cast members. So I've asked her to join us for today's discussion as well. I hope you don't mind, Ren."

"Not at all. I apologize for keeping you from your busy schedule just to fill me in on the details that you've already gone through with everyone last week," Ren gave his sincere apology as he settled down across from Shizuko while Yukihito sat next to him.

"Don't mention it. You have no idea how elated I was when I was told that you accepted the role. Coffee?" Takeshi offered, holding up the coffee pot.

"Yes, please."

"Would you like a cup too, Yashiro-san?"

"Ah, no thank you. I have my bottle of water. And Naito-san, please just call me Yukihito," he stated while readjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Takeshi nodded and returned to the table with two cups of coffee, taking a seat next to Shizuko. Ren took his and sipped the hot liquid. He had to immediately force the contents down his stomach and try his hardest to suppress a grimace from showing. The burnt taste was quite foul. Yukihito probably took notice when he passed him the bottled water with discretion, understanding that he was trying to prevent from making a scene of it. Ren took a big gulp from the plastic bottle in an attempt wash down the bad aftertaste left in his mouth.

"This isn't very good, huh? I really make the worst coffee," Takeshi's face was distorted after he took a sip from his cup, laughing. "My assistant is away on maternity leave so I have to make my own coffee now."

"It wasn't so bad," Ren lied through his teeth, not wanting to hurt the man's feelings.

"I think I should just stop trying and buy from the vending machine instead," he said with a meek grin. "Anyway, I know you both have your next jobs to go to so why don't we get started now?"

Takeshi handed out the stapled booklets to them and began explaining, "Once again, our drama series will be called Love of Fortune, which will be set in modern times. The synopsis of the story is generally about this wealthy, upper-class family with one of the top real-estate companies in Asia. The lives of the Akiyama family are steady and somewhat harmonious, with occasional bickering between the three younger siblings. Conflicts start arising when the head of the family reunites with his illegitimate son and also marries a young dancer who is thirty years younger than himself."

Both Ren and Shizuko occasionally nodded to show that they were listening attentively as the director continued, "The illegitimate son was set on gaining his father's trust so he could carry out his vengeance for his mother's suicidal death. His plan was to tear the family apart and take away everything that belonged to the Akiyama."

Takeshi looked up at Ren as he spoke. "Ren, your role will be the eldest son of this family. Despite your upscale upbringing, your character is sincere, reputable and unspoiled at first. After your family falls apart and the death of your father, your character gradually changes. You will become more manipulative and cruel as you take revenge on your half-brother and try to take back all of the Akiyama family's assets and properties."

The son of a rich man with an untainted character who eventually becomes corrupted with hatred and anger after the family's downfall. The emotional world of his character as the story developed sounded appealing. It would be quite demanding for him to show such an adverse transition through his acting. Ren found himself rather thrilled with the challenge presented through his new role.

"As for you, Shizuko," he turned his concentration to the young actress beside him. "You will be playing the role of the young dancer. She is a beautiful, scheming gold digger and will stop at nothing to seduce and marry her way into a wealthy family. It will be quite a challenging role to capture correctly since she needs to be seductive and cunning, think you're up for it?"

She nodded eagerly and answered, "Yes! I will absolutely do my best! I promise that I won't disappoint you and Tsuruga-san."

Her genuine sincerity brought a smile to Ren's face. It was always rewarding to work hard with a group of people towards a shared goal. It boosted everyone's strengths and brought out the best in each artist; the overall production always exceeded preliminary expectations.

Takeshi patted her back in an approving manner. "That is exactly what I wanted to hear from you."

For the next little while, they continued to discuss the plot and how Takeshi expected them to portray their characters. He had also provided them with the upcoming schedule, including all promotional events and filming timelines. Ren was fully aware that his agenda for the next few months would be very compressed with almost no personal time to himself. But he was zealous of this new job and could hardly wait to start his performance on this complex role.

 **X X X**

"I am so excited about this role," Shizuko commented with delight as the three of them stepped out of the elevator and heading towards the main lobby. "I wish we could start filming already instead of waiting for another week."

"I have to agree that this drama series was very well written with many potential characters," Ren pointed out.

"But Ibuka-san is such a friendly person, I can't wait to see you act as a crafty seductress," Yukihito added with genuineness.

Suddenly her face fell as she thought about his words and Ren caught her disappointed look. "What is the matter, Ibuka-san?"

There was a brief pause before she confessed with reluctance. "Earlier when I told Naito-san that I will not disappoint him, I was only putting up a front. I actually don't have any confidence in myself to execute the role to Naito-san's standards."

Something in her voice set off the protective instinct of him as a mentor. Ren understood her feelings very well since he'd once been in her position. He'd also been unsure of himself when he'd undergone the grinding progression of making his debut in the entertainment world several years ago. The thoughts of him not being good enough to succeed had resided despite how much others had tried to persuade him otherwise with reassurance. He was all too familiar with this overwhelming sense of insecurity even before he had become _Ren Tsuruga_. It had been during the time when he'd had a different identity in his _other_ life; which he was not ready to return to anytime soon with all his heavy baggage.

"No actor or actress in the entertainment industry knows everything. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Don't weigh your security with what you know or can do; weigh it with your willingness and ability to learn," Ren reassured her as much as he could with a warm attitude.

Emotion seemed to have choked her for a moment but she remained quiet when Ren continued, "You may have hid your true feelings in front of Naito-san earlier but I believe you truly meant your words when you said you would try your best. Or am I wrong?"

She quickly shook her head with evident eagerness. "No, I really meant it when I said that!"

Ren's lips curved at her answer. "Then that's all it should matter. I know you will pull off an outstanding performance with your acting and I am looking forward working with you as my co-star, Ibuka-san."

The young actress flushed and looked down at her feet, averting her gaze from him. "Tsuruga-san…thank you for your motivation. You are so kind…"

"Shizuko," a woman standing by the entrance called out as soon as she saw them approaching, and lifted her arm in the air. "The car is ready."

"That's my manager," she spoke softly with coyness. "I have to go now…Thank you for everything once again. I will see you next week, Tsuruga-san."

With one last fleeting glance his way, she bowed at both of them and quickly turned to leave.

"Looks like another leading female co-star has fallen victim to your charms," said Yukihito while they watched her retreating back. "You should be locked up for the crime that you're committing."

Ren threw his manager a puzzled look, confused. "I meant every word that I said."

"It was not so much your words as it was the way you said it; soft and sweet, with a feeling of warmth and mystery. Even men would have fallen for you."

"Are you dropping hints to me, Yashiro-san?" came Ren's witty comeback as he smirked.

Yukihito became bright-eyed. "Are you saying you would consider it?"

Ren's smirk disappeared in a flash. "Now you're just making me uncomfortable with this conversation."

"Hey, watch where you're going!" A male voice shouted angrily followed by the sounds of clattering, causing them to turn their attention to the source of commotion up ahead.

A man was seen striding towards the exit, leaving a girl kneeling down to pick up her belongings that had fallen out of her bag from the impact. Ren quickly walked up to assist her. Unaware of his presence since she had her back facing him, he could hear her incoherent mumbles – something about her luck. He was about to offer help when a glimmer of gold by his feet caught his eye. He would recognize the card anywhere. It was custom made for VIPs only, and visitors could see the President, Lory Takarada anytime they wanted as long as they presented the card to the front desk receptionist.

Curious, he crouched low to pick up the card and the girl suddenly turned around to gather her items at the same time. Ren's eyes widened in surprise the instant he saw her. The time he'd met her two months ago in Guam had been brief, but he remembered her face well. A flashing image of her emerging from the surf, droplets of water beading her breathtaking body passed through his mind. At first, he'd really thought his brain had been playing tricks on him since she'd disappeared before his eyes that night.

But now she was right in front of him, within arm's reach. Even more beautiful than he remembered. She had cut her hair short and changed the color to shade of chestnut. Now that he thought about it, Ren had always preferred women with long hair, but her new haircut set off the high cheekbones on her face and highlighted her large eyes. She abruptly looked up, and her amber eyes were so strikingly vibrant that his breath caught.

"That's mine, thanks," she declared without another glance and snatched the card from his hand, already back on her feet as she stormed towards the receptionist.

The unexpected, violent slam of her palm on the desk almost caused Ren to jump out of his skin. "Tell this Lory Takarada guy to come out and see me immediately!"

The receptionist was far from impressed by her insolent attitude and glared. "Your name?"

"Kyoko."

The woman made an irritated sound. "Your full name."

There was a moment of hesitation. Then she said, "Kyoko…Kyoko Mogami. Just tell him to come out right now! He stole something very valuable and irreplaceable from me! So you go and tell him that he better not try to avoid me because I will go to the police and report him if I must!"

 _Why would a young girl like her have a VIP card from Lory?_ Ren pondered to himself with a frown as he stood and watched. His curiosity got the better of him.

"What could Lory have possibly stolen that can be so valuable and irreplaceable to a young girl?" Yukihito's sudden appearance behind Ren made him jump this time. "Hmm, how scandalous."

Ren couldn't believe his own ears when his manager made such an indecent comment. "I hope you're not suggesting what I think you are suggesting, Yashiro-san."

Yukihito crossed one arm while the other hand was used to rub the bottom of his chin, attempting to analyze the situation. "Think about it, how often have you seen a special guest with the gold card turning out to be a young girl her age? It's even rarer for a young girl to demand for Lory's presence with such impatience and anger, claiming he _stole_ something from her that is _irreplaceable_. There aren't that many explanations which would fit this scenario."

Ren's frown grew and he wanted to kick himself for agreeing with his manager. Indeed there weren't that many explanations befitting her erratic behavior. Besides, it wasn't uncommon for younger girls to be in a relationship with older men; Ren knew some actresses who had done it for money and fame. But judging from her ordinary clothing and tote bag, she wasn't the type of girl who was heavily influenced by brand names and expensive apparel. So money couldn't be what she was after if they were really having an affair…

Ren gave himself a quick, mental shake to clear his head and shoved away the dwelling negative thoughts. Just when he told himself to quit jumping to conclusions without evidence, Lory made his appearance in the lobby in his theatrical costume.

"Kyoko! I've been waiting for you the entire morning," he said with a huge grin plastered on his face, opening his arms for a hug.

"YOU!" The girl rushed up to him in a haste. Since they were further away, their interactions became inaudible for Ren, but he still tried to make out what they were saying from their body language and facial expressions.

"How could you take advantage of me without taking responsibility for what you've done?" A high-pitched, male voice spoke from behind Ren.

He witnessed the girl pointing her forefinger at Lory and she appeared to be having a heated argument with him until he pulled out something from the inside of his jacket's pocket.

"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong, I will make it up to you. I've got a surprise for you." This time the voice was the deeper tone of a man.

Even from the distance, Ren could tell the accessory was a pocket watch. The girl's annoyed look softened notably as she reached for it.

"It's beautiful, is it really for me?" Again with the fake female voice.

Right then, Lory took out another matching pocket watch, and that was when she lifted her head at him.

"Look, I even got myself a matching watch. It shows our deep connection with each other."

Her expression slowly transitioned from pure shock to a wide grin before she broke down into tears, and then they hugged. The unanticipated turn of events made Ren's limbs weak, especially the way she was looking into Lory's eyes right now. Her gaze was full of love and tenderness, and Lory's reflected the same for her.

"Oh Lory, I'm so happy that I can't help but to cry tears of joy right now. Thank you."

Ren had had enough of this when he snapped, "Can you please just stop your running commentary on the event right behind me, Yashiro-san."

"Since we can't hear them from here, I have to read their lips."

Ren narrowed his eyes while he kept his fixed stare on his employer. "Since when did you learn to read lips?"

He saw Lory lift his hands to wipe away her tears before cupping her cheeks in an intimate manner. The man said something to her and she nodded before they both headed to the elevator.

"It's a skill that I've always had," his manager sounded prideful. "Just like your photographic memory."

"Really?" All of a sudden, Ren found that his mood was plummeting at an alarming speed. He was in no mood for jokes anymore. "Try to read this then."

He mouthed a string of colorful curse words before turning on his heels to walk away, leaving his very startled manager behind.

 **X X X**

 **AUTHOR NOTE:**

Yashiro is honestly one of my favorite characters in Skip Beat. Without him, the manga wouldn't have been half as funny. Finally Ren and Kyoko meet again, but I doubt it was everything that you all have been expecting (lol).

For everyone who has reviewed / favorited / followed the story so far – thank you! It was always so motivating to know there are so many readers who like my story. I want to also thank those who has given this fic a chance and read it too.

Special thanks to **allsecretsaresweet** , **crazykitkatty1** , **soph** , **PunK-ChIc** , **pancakeareabsolutelydelicious** , **Karrat** , **puffinzero** , **Waltzing Muse** , **Tabbykatroses** , **KayGe08** and **Guests** (my sincere apology to those who I may have missed) for taking your time to leave me such supportive reviews! 

Hope everyone will enjoy the rest of your weekend! I will see you again soon.


	4. Chapter 4: The Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now.

 _ **Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)**_

 _Rated_ _ **Teen**_ _for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes._

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Catch Me If You Can**

 **By: Swanna**

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Chapter 4: The Reunion**

"This is it - LME Agency," Kyoko muttered under her breath as she looked up at the tall company building that stood proudly before her.

To be honest, she was expecting the thief to be a founder of a company of some sort but definitely not an owner of a remarkable building that rose ten floors over a beautiful garden-like setting nearby. There were many other neighboring commercial buildings and shops located on the same bustling street but they all paled in comparison to this massive structure ahead of Kyoko.

"Compose yourself, Kyoko! This is not the time to be impressed by your enemy's territory," she declared angrily with a mental shake and dismounted her bicycle with one swift swing of her leg. "You are here to retrieve your pocket watch and you are not leaving the premises until you get it back at all costs!"

Ever since yesterday's morning, Kyoko had started showing high anxiety throughout her day job. At night she was losing her appetite and sleep, unable to enjoy anything and this was all thanks to the wealthy freak who had stolen her precious keepsake for some unknown reason!

But she knew she would soon find out his ulterior motive for luring her to his domain, and if he dared to try anything funny then she would…

 _Crap! I was so consumed by anger that I'd completely forgotten to come up with a backup plan in case things go south! What should I do?!_

Kyoko began pacing at the building's entranceway while rubbing her chin, mulling over a promising escape plan and agonizing over the possibility of carrying it out in the face of danger. In the end she failed to come up with an achievable course of action and decided to still go along with the meeting and be done with it.

It would probably be one of the stupidest decisions that she had ever made, almost like a hare walking into the fox's den to become his feast willingly. At this point she was really left with no other choice but to move forward as the pocket watch was too important to her to let go.

 _That's right, I will scream at top of my lungs and make a run for it if anything happens! As long as I stay in public areas, no one is going to try anything and I will be fine._

Somewhat more confident, Kyoko braced herself and entered the building through one of the dual glass doors.

She was pleasantly amazed by the sight before her the moment she set foot inside. The ten story high lobby ceiling created an open space infused with natural sunlight through the transparent glass, there were designer sofas for visitors to rest, and the marble flooring, columns and receptionist counters all integrated seamlessly in the design. If Kyoko had found the exterior of this building impressive, then the interior design was certainly jaw-dropping.

As Kyoko was preoccupied with her admiration of the building's layout, she unknowingly walked into a passing individual. The straps of her white open tote bag slipped off her right shoulder from the impact and it dropped to the floor, a few of her personal items were once again scattered around.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The man shouted angrily as he stormed off towards the exit before she even had the opportunity to give him a proper apology.

With a dejected sigh, she kneeled down to gather her belongings and mumbled to herself, "That's it. I'm buying myself a new bag with zippers on my next paycheck. My luck couldn't get any worse…"

Once again, she wouldn't have been in this troublesome situation if it wasn't because of that freak! The more she thought about it, the more her fury rose. Kyoko needed to get this over with quickly so she could get back to her life before this whole ordeal had happened!

With a renewed determination, she quickened her pace and hastily threw everything in front of her back into her bag. As she turned around to make sure she hadn't left any objects behind, she saw a man crouching next to her with the gold business card in his hand.

"That's mine, thanks," she hurriedly grabbed the card from the man's hand without sparing a glance at his face and rushed towards the front desk.

She slammed the gold business card on the counter harder than she had meant to. If the receptionist was bothered by it then she did one hell of a job hiding her reaction.

"Tell this Lory Takarada guy to come out and see me immediately!"

The brown-haired woman paused for two seconds while giving Kyoko a dirty look. "Your name?"

"Kyoko."

She clicked her tongue in irritation and asked again. "Your full name."

Kyoko hesitated. She figured it wouldn't be wise of her to state her full legal name as Kyoko Misonoi in case there would be an off-chance that it would somehow get traced back to her. No matter how unlikely it was, she refused to risk letting Murasame find her whereabouts.

"Kyoko…" she was almost reluctant to use her mother's maiden name. "Kyoko Mogami. Just tell him to come out right now! He stole something very valuable and irreplaceable from me! So you go and tell him that he better not try to avoid me because I will go to the police and report him if I must!"

Kyoko watched as the receptionist dialed a number on a console, waited for the line to be answered and said, "President, a girl who claims the name Kyoko Mogami is at the receptionist desk requesting your presence."

The woman listened for second and said, "Yes, President."

She hung up and turned her attention to Kyoko again. "The President will be down in a moment or two."

Kyoko's eyes were already locked on the elevators as one of the doors glided open and her target finally showed up.

Today he was dressed in a black silk velvet doublet with heavy gold bullion embroidery and brass embellishments, with a pair of matching black wool pants. For some reason his current appearance reminded her of the character, Romeo from the tragic play. One thing Kyoko was certain of though; he would definitely meet the same fate as Romeo if he refused to return her pocket watch today.

"Kyoko! I've been waiting for you the entire morning," he said with an idiotic grin plastered on his face as he walked towards her, spreading his arms out wide. Was this freak seriously asking for a hug?!

"YOU!" Kyoko rushed up to him in rage, pointing her finger at his chest as she scolded him. "You said that if I met you here today you would return my pocket watch! I'm here now so give it back!"

"Rest assured, I will return your watch but there is something that I'd like to speak to you about in private first. Why don't we continue our conversation up in my office?"

At last, the fox was trying to lure the hare out of its protected area so he could go in for the kill.

"Oh no, no, no. You are not going to trick me that easily, you devious beast! We are going to talk right _here_ ," Kyoko declared stubbornly, planting her feet on the ground as if she was about to be dragged away by force. "Whatever you want to talk about, just say it here! I refuse to go anywhere with you!"

"De-devious beast…?" Instead of being offended, he chuckled softly and he let out a resigned sigh. "Looks like this conversation really isn't going anywhere until I give you back your watch."

Kyoko suddenly saw a small ray of hope as she watched him retrieve something from the inside of his jacket's pocket.

"Here, I am returning this back to you," he said as he held up the watch by its chain.

A rush of pure relief washed over her as she reached for her possession. Finally the watch had returned to its rightful owner and Kyoko couldn't stop the smile from lighting up her face.

It was at that moment however that he also pulled out another identical watch, and instantly caught her attention. She was shocked to see the matching accessory while he simply continued to give her the same genial expression that he'd had the entire time. This couldn't be…Her father had once mentioned to her that the watch was custom-made and she wouldn't be able to find another one with the same design, so she was told to take really good care of it.

So then why would this man have the same watch too? Unless…

"No way…" She murmured silently, tears already welling up as she couldn't believe who was really standing before her. "Uncle Caterpillar…?"

His smile softened at the mention of the name. "I almost forgot about that nickname. It's been years since I've last seen you, Kyoko. Look at you all grown up now."

Kyoko let her tears fall freely for the first time in the past six months as they embraced. Although she had very vague childhood memories of him, she still remembered that he had been the one and only elder who had showered her with unconditional love in her early life, even though they had no blood relation.

"Uncle Caterpillar, is that really you? Please tell me so that I know I am hugging the right person."

Chuckling again, he released his arms and started wiping away her tears with his fingers. "Yes, it's me. Now let's go back up to my office first so we can catch up properly. I have many questions that I want to ask you."

Kyoko knew perfectly well the questions that he had in mind for her and she wasn't so sure that she would be comfortable to answer all of them. But at the same time she really wanted to spend more time with her Uncle Caterpillar whom she'd lost contact with since her parents' separation. She nodded in response and allowed him lead the way as they headed towards the elevator.

 **X X X**

"This is my office, come on in and make yourself comfortable," said Lory as he held the door open for Kyoko to enter. "Can I get you anything? I have water, juice or cappuccino."

He watched her mouth gaping in silent astonishment as she glanced around, evidently fascinated by the size of the room.

"Kyoko?"

She jumped out of her trance and turned to him. "Y-yes?!"

"Why don't you have a seat over there and I will bring both of us something to drink?" he offered.

"Yes, sir!" Kyoko bowed at him and complied immediately as if she was given an order before walking towards the leather sofa. He could tell that she was becoming more nervous after her initial excitement over their unplanned reunion.

"Don't call me sir, it makes me sound old and I don't like it," he waved his hand in the air dismissively as he went to the mini liquor bar against a wall. "Just keep calling me Uncle Caterpillar like you always do."

"Please forgive my rudeness for giving you that nickname, uncle!" She bowed at him again, only it was a deeper and longer bow this time. "I was too young to know any better and it was very wrong of me for being so impolite to my elders!"

Lory arched his brows. "What's so bad about that nickname? I like it. I refuse to be called anything but Uncle Caterpillar by you."

"Bu-but…" She lifted her head and her brows were knitted together. "I don't think that's very appropriate…"

"Who said so? If I say it's fine, then it's fine," he reassured as he joined her at the seating area. Lory handed her a bottle of water while he poured himself a glass of Cognac. He patted the spot next to him on the sofa gently, motioning for Kyoko who was still standing to come over and join him.

Lory heaved a sigh as he studied the girl's face. The last time he'd seen her was when she had still been a little child with two pigtails. Seeing that the sweet child had now become a young adult certainly made him feel old.

"You really have grown, Kyoko. How long has it been since I've last seen you?"

"It has been about ten years," she replied as she sat next to him with a straight back, not touching the back of the sofa and she folded her hands quietly in her lap.

"Ten years?! Time certainly flies, doesn't it? I still recall your height was just up to my knees and look at you now, you have grown into a beautiful young woman. You really take after your mother."

Lory remembered Saena was quite a beauty and he had always teased his old friend for having good taste in women. However instead of feeling praised, Kyoko had grown quiet as though he had hit a nerve at the mention of her mother.

"How are your parents doing now?"

"They're divorced."

"I've heard…" Lory took a deep breath before he began again. "I tried contacting your father once years ago, and when I couldn't reach him I became worried and came to visit in person. When your family wasn't there, I discovered from your neighbors who own the inn next door that Kazushi had sold the property. They said that he had moved away with you shortly after your mother left the family."

Kyoko remained silent as he continued. "I tried contacting Kazushi but to no avail. I have even hired someone to search for your father's whereabouts and found out that he'd actually moved to America. But when I went to the New York address, you were both gone and there have been no further updates about your father ever since."

"Because of my father's debts, we tended to move around a lot. We never really stayed at the same place for more than six months."

"Debts?"

Kyoko paused for a moment, unsure of how much she should divulge.

"Father started gambling soon after we have moved to New York," she began slowly, trying to think of how best to explain what she was about to tell him next. "At first it was his savings from the house that we had sold back in Japan, then he went through credit cards and loans from banks. When banks would no longer approved any personal loans to him, he went to his colleagues at work and even loan sharks for money to gamble."

Lory was speechless. The Kazushi that he'd known since high school would never resort to such compulsive behavior to escape his marital failure. Even worse, he had impacted his only daughter as a result.

"Because of all the outstanding debts, he's never secured a job for long and so we have to move away frequently to avoid the debtors."

"Kazushi, you idiot!" Lory slammed his glass down on the table out of frustration. "Where is he now?! Bring me to him so I can knock some sense into him!"

"I don't know…"

Lory frowned. "What do you mean you don't know? Didn't he come back to Japan with you?"

"I came back by myself."

Lory knew he would not like the answer but he asked anyway. "How come?"

"Because…" Kyoko hesitated for a moment. "Because the debts were getting too much and to avoid father's debtors, I've decided to return to Japan for the time being."

That did it for Lory. "How could Kazushi let you come back all by yourself?! You're still too young to be on your own! What about Saena? Have you tried contacting her?"

"She wouldn't care."

"Of course she cares, Kyoko," said Lory quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "She's your mother after all. I know it's hard to forgive her for leaving you and your father but you're still a child, you need an adult to take care of you."

Kyoko looked ahead as she spoke softly, "Father left many voice messages on her cell phone but she's never answered. He even asked our neighbors to pass on our New York address to her, just in case she ever decided to return to us. Day after day, he waited for her to reach out but the only thing he ever received from her was divorce papers."

She finally looked up at Lory, her smile was sad. "So why would someone like that care about my well-being now when she hasn't made the effort in the past ten years?"

If his memories served him right, Saena was a very single-minded and purposeful woman. Nothing could ever make her change her mind once she had decided on something. He realized there were marriages that were truly unsalvageable and he could understand why she had made the choice of leaving Kazushi. But he just never expected her to have the heart to abandon her only child as a parent. That was something Lory could never relate to even if he tried.

"Kyoko…" Suddenly he felt a lump in his throat and the sting of tears in his eyes.

"Un-uncle Caterpillar?" Kyoko move closer to him, obviously panicking at the sight of him tearing up.

"It's too heartbreaking to know a child like you has to go through so much hardship because of her parents' marriage."

"It's…It's really not that bad," since there was no tissue box nearby, she started wiping his tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "It may sound bad but it's really not that bad, uncle."

"What about your father? Does he even know that you left New York and came back to Japan by yourself?"

She shook her head.

"That is unacceptable!" Lory felt a cold fury sweep through him once again. "Why don't I send people to look for your father? We should at least let him know that you are here with me so he won't get worried."

"No, don't do that!"

Lory found it suspicious that she didn't want him to look for her father. "Why not? I can also help him with his debts too."

"Th-that's exactly what he doesn't want you to do. Father doesn't want you to know about all of this and what we've been going through all these years. Think about it, there's a reason father hasn't contacted you even once since we have moved away."

He thought about it for a moment and it somewhat made sense. It explained why Kazushi had never once came to him for advice or help during his difficult times. He wasn't even aware that their marriage had been in danger until it was all too late.

"That Kazushi and his pride! He hasn't changed at all since high school." He turned back his focus to Kyoko. "But how are you managing on your own? What about school? And where are you living now?"

"I…I dropped out of high school last year," she said with the guiltiest expression on her face.

"What?! This is getting ridiculous! And Kazushi allowed you to drop out of school just like that?! How are you going to have a future without a proper education?!" Lory's fatherly nature kicked into high gear now. No child should have to suffer so much because of a parent's poor decisions.

"Well someone has to work and pay down the debts," she tried to joke with a nervous laugh.

"Where are you staying now?" he asked. "You know what, it doesn't even matter at this point. I will find you a suitable place to stay. As a matter of fact you should stay with me and my granddaughter at my villa for the time being until Kazushi comes to get you. That would also be easier for me to watch over you too."

"No, that's not-"

Lory took out his cell phone from his pants pocket. "I'm going to call my assistant, Sebastian to pick up your luggage now. Give me the address of the place that you're staying at and he will go and retrieve your belongings for you now."

Just when he was about to press the speed dial on his phone, Kyoko pounced on him and her stomach landed on his knees as she tried to wrestle the device out of his hand. He was surprised by her sudden outburst.

"Uncle Caterpillar, that's not necessary! I'm currently renting a room from this really nice old couple and they are taking care of me. They even have their own restaurant too and I work for them in the evenings! Have you heard of Darumaya? Have you been there before? The food there is quite delicious and cheap, if you haven't been there before then you really have to tr-"

"Kyoko!" He interrupted her longwinded explanation, with sternness evident in his tone.

"Y-yes?"

Sighing, Lory tried to rationalize with her in a softer voice and said, "I haven't seen you in ten years and by fate we were able to meet again. How can you expect me as your elder to not do anything for you after knowing what you have gone through all this time?"

"Uncle Caterpillar, I'm fine, really." Kyoko sat upright again and gave him a reassuring smile. "I understand that you are worried about me but I'm old enough to take care of myself now. You've always been like family to me and I am very happy that we can meet again too."

"But as your elder, I should still do something for you."

"It's really not necessary, uncle. I mean I have a steady part-time job at a fast food restaurant during the daytime. In the evenings I help out at Darumaya and the couple charge me really cheap rent, so I am financially stable."

Suddenly an idea occurred to him, and a rather clever one at that. "That's right! Why don't you come work for me here at LME instead?"

"As a secretary?"

He chuckled at her naivety. "That would be a waste. You have blossomed into a fine young woman, I shall hire you as an actress!"

"Me? An actress?" For the first time, he heard her laugh out loud. "Uncle Caterpillar, there's a limit to flattery you know, but I do appreciate the compliments."

"Beauty is what you feel about yourself and not about what you see in the mirror, Kyoko."

"That's a very inspiring quote, I will keep that in mind," she said while trying to suppress her laughter.

"A strong-willed girl with unwavering determination is rare, you are like an unpolished gem waiting to be polished; to show your inner beauty that is always shining ever so brightly and dazzling! And I will be the one to polish you and make you the most shining gem of all time!"

"Un-uncle Caterpillar…?" Suddenly she didn't find this so amusing after all.

"It has certainly been a while since I have personally promoted a talented person into a rising star. Even I am getting excited about this!"

Kyoko lifted her hand trying to get his attention, "I think we're getting a little too excited over something that is not-"

"Alright that's decided then. The first step is to enroll you in a good drama school," Lory rose from the sofa and started pacing around as he spoke.

"Uncle Cater-"

"And once you have sufficient understanding of how to act for the camera, I will have a marketing team focus solely on your big debut."

"Uncle-"

"However, I will not give you a leading role immediately as I believe all actors and actresses should start from the bottom to gain acting experience but once you've mastered-"

"UNCLE CATERPILLAR!"

Lory jumped at the unexpected shout of his name.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice but you seem to be getting overly excited on this one-sided conversation. Listen, again I really appreciate the good intentions but I'm sorry, I can't be an actress."

He wasn't sure if he heard her correctly.

"Kyoko," he began slowly, making sure she would not miss a single word of what he was about to say. "Do you even have the slightest idea of what I am offering you right now? And do you know that you are about to turn down this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will define your future, which many girls could only dream of?"

Hesitation showed on her face before she spoke again, choosing her words carefully. "I understand, but I really have no interest nor passion for acting. On top of that I can't afford to be seen on TV because of father's debtors, remember?"

"Hence I've offered to help Kazushi with his debts."

"I know but we don't want to get others involved in our family problems. We just need some time to sort everything out on our own. So please don't trouble yourself any further than you already have, Uncle Caterpillar."

Lory sighed again, and he noticed that he had been doing that a lot today. "You are way too stubborn for your own good, Kyoko. Like father, like daughter. Alright, I've heard your opinion and I respect your decision. Perhaps we will discuss this matter at another time. Do you have a cell phone, Kyoko? I would like to keep in touch with you if possible."

She smiled at him sheepishly and replied, "I'm sorry, I don't have one but you can give me your contact number so I can contact you instead."

"Good thing I planned everything in advance." He walked over to his desk and picked up the box that had been sitting on top of the table. "Here, take this."

"What is it?" Kyoko walked up to him and took the box from his hand.

"A new mobile phone. I've already added my personal cell phone number in it and I have also added yours on my phone as well. This way we can reach each other more conveniently."

She shook her head. "But that's too much, I can't take th-"

"Kyoko, you've said no to me today more than anyone I've ever met before. I will have you know that I don't like to take no for an answer," he had used his LME President's tone on her.

"I'm sorr-"

The stern look that Lory was giving her now stopped her in her mid-sentence and she decided to correct herself.

"Thank you…"

"That's a better answer. It's getting late. Shall I have Sebastian take you home?"

"No, it's fine. I rode my bike here but thank you," she answered as she placed the box into her white bag.

"Make sure you keep your phone on at all times so I can call you, okay?"

"Okay."

Lory walked her to the door and he would have seen her out. but Kyoko insisted on leaving on her own. What a stubborn child.

"It was good seeing you again, Kyoko," he said sincerely.

His heart felt heavy as he looked at her smiling face. As her elder, he hadn't been able to do much for her and he regretted not being there for her when she needed him the most.

Kyoko bowed politely and turned to leave.

"Wait Kyoko." She turned around and waited for him to finish.

"Out of curiosity, why did you give me the nickname Caterpillar?"

Her smile grew. "I honestly couldn't remember why until I saw you again. It was because of your mustache. It looked like a caterpillar on your face."

He laughed, absently rubbing his mustache. "I guess in the eyes of a child, it does look like hairy Caterpillar."

"Hence the nickname," she let out a small giggle and then looked up at him once more before stepping into the waiting elevator. "I have to go now, Uncle Caterpillar. I will talk to you again soon."

 **X X X**

 **AUTHOR NOTE:**

To all the readers out there who have been following this fic, I sincerely apologize for the long wait time. I know it has been six months since the last update but I've actually moved to a new place in June and there have been so much to do around our new home like furniture shopping, re-painted my bedroom (to the color blue!), and home decoration – you name it.

After we have finally settled down, I've lost my muse and motivation to write until now, and I'm very sorry! But since I'm back again, I will definitely try to update more frequently! Thank you all for your patience and understanding, hopefully I will be able to post the next chapter by next weekend (but no promises lol).

I will see you all soon, Merry Christmas to you all!


	5. Chapter 5: The Proposal

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now.

 _ **Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)**_

 _Rated_ _ **Teen**_ _for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes._

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Catch Me If You Can**

 **By: Swanna**

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Chapter 5: The Proposal**

Kyoko arrived in front of the LME Agency and locked her bicycle to the metal railing along the side of the road. With a lift of her head, she took a good look at the exterior of the structure. It had only been three days since she had come here, but her state of mind had been vastly different then.

The last time she had stood before this building, she had felt like an unwilling prey forced to deliver herself to the awaiting predator; today she came of her own free will to meet one of the most important people in her life.

A father figure.

Uncle Caterpillar was more of a father to her than her real father had ever been, at least since her parents had split up and he had started neglecting her in favour of gambling. Perhaps it was some sort of divine intervention or simply a sign that her luck was turning for the better; Kyoko was just thankful for being given the opportunity to reunite with her uncle again.

She entered the building and approached the front desk right away with the gold business card in hand, preparing to flash it like a badge at the same receptionist with an attitude. To her surprise, today it was a different girl with a friendlier countenance, who at least appeared to be delighted to serve visitors.

"Welcome to LME Agency. How may I assist you today?" asked the girl in a professional tone, looking up from her computer immediately.

"I'm here to see Takarada-san."

"I can certainly help you. May I have your name please?"

"Kyoko Mogami."

"Please give me a moment and I will notify the President for you, Mogami-san," she gave Kyoko a quick nod and smiled as she dialed a number on the phone. "Hello President, Mogami-san has arrived and is now awaiting your presence at the receptionist area."

Kyoko waited while the receptionist seemed to be listening to the phone intently. At least she didn't have to deal with the same girl as the other day, her day was already starting off better!

"I understand, President," the girl disconnected the call and rose from her office chair. "The President is waiting for you in his office, Mogami-san. Would you like me to show you the way?"

"Oh there's no need for that, I know the way but thank you," Kyoko declined politely and turned towards the elevators. As she walked away, she saw the receptionist bowing at her from the corner of her eye.

As she pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive, her chain of thoughts naturally swerved back to her uncle. It hadn't been easy for Kyoko to have the conversation that they'd shared a few days ago. Although it didn't make her uncomfortable per say, she was unaccustomed in sharing her background and personal problems with others.

There had been countless times that loneliness had built up within her and she had always yearned for someone to rely on. Whether they were good times, bad times or everything in-between, Kyoko had only wanted to share those moments with a friend who'd be willing to listen. But she had no one, and the loneliness hurt more than she cared to admit.

 _Good thing I still have Corn,_ Kyoko mused as she unconsciously tightened her grip on the strap of her bag with the magic stone inside.

It had been her silent companion through the years when she had no one else. Though she'd long since realized that it had no magical powers, it provided a comforting reassurance nonetheless. She'd been accustomed to having one-sided conversations with the stone instead of others for years now, as her life with her father did not allow time to forge close friendships with others.

And now that she'd reunited with her Uncle Caterpillar, she already felt less lonely.

Kyoko had been honest for the most part during their last conversation, but she had deliberately kept him in the dark about Murasame's existence and the whole arranged marriage ordeal.

Part of the reason was that she didn't want her father's only best friend to regard him as a complete disappointment despite how much his actions may have warranted such a judgement. Although she was young, she completely understood that true friends were hard to come by. She didn't have the heart to take away their years of friendship over her father's mistakes.

The other part was that he would become more persistent in trying to help her resolve the problem and pay off the debt, and she didn't want to take advantage of his kindness. He had always showered her with care through the years and she had always been very grateful for it, however she did not want to impose on him more than she already was. Besides, in the end it wasn't all about the large sum of money anyways. Murasame wanted a wife, and it wasn't a deal that her uncle could just waltz in and call off that easily.

To put it plainly, there was no reason to get others drawn in by her personal problems when she had everything under control for the time being.

"Have you heard of the latest rumor about director Naito and the young actress, Ibuka?" A woman asked her female colleague as they were waiting for the elevator behind Kyoko, pulling her mind back to reality.

"No, what did you hear?"

Great. Nosy women prying their noses into other people's businesses was just what Kyoko needed at this moment. Was it her or was the elevator taking really long to arrive?

"So you know how Ibuka has always played supporting characters in drama series right? I heard that she was able to land herself the leading role in Naito's new drama this time because they're having an affair."

Kyoko heard a breathless gasp. "No way! Isn't Naito already married?"

"Yes and he also has two kids but so what? When does that ever stop men from having flings outside of their marriages?"

"It's hard to believe that such a hardworking man like Naito is an unfaithful cheater. Ibuka seems like an innocent girl too...Is your source even reliable or is it all bogus?"

Although she told herself that she had no interest in their meaningless gossip, when the woman lowered her voice in an attempt to whisper Kyoko's ears instinctively perked up.

"Keep quiet about it but there was a night when someone from the company saw Naito's car parked outside of Ibuka's home."

"Really?! That's so shameless of them! I feel so horrible for his wife…"

"Tell me about it. I blame the man for his infidelity when he should have known better than to cheat and lie to his spouse. Men are the worst."

The elevator finally arrived with a ding and the double doors slid open. Kyoko was the first to enter into it with the women following closely after her. The moment she pressed the button for the tenth floor, the whispers immediately started again from behind.

"Did you see that? She's going up to the tenth floor to the President's office."

"I've never seen her around here before either…I don't think she works here."

 _If you_ _'re going to gossip about me then do it discreetly!_ _I can hear you in this tight space!_ Kyoko fumed inwardly but decided not to make a scene and kept her eyes at the floor indication light.

"What relationship do you think she has with the President?"

That did it for Kyoko. She decided to cut their dangerous trail of thoughts before it got too far. It was one thing if she was being gossiped about, but Uncle Caterpillar was the President of LME Company and his reputation was at stake here.

"Oh no, I've pressed the wrong button to the tenth floor," she spoke out loud, acting all embarrassed about her error as she pushed the button to the ninth floor instead. "I didn't mean to do that. Good thing you two are getting off before me, otherwise I would have caused delay for you both."

"That's quite alright, we're not in a hurry anyway so don't worry about it," said one of the women.

That seemed to do the trick as both women ceased their brusque whisperings instantly. They got off when the elevator arrived at the third floor and as they walked out, Kyoko heard them greeting someone just outside the elevator.

"Hello, Yashiro-san. How are you today?"

"I'm great, thank you for asking. How are you both doing?" Replied a male voice.

Kyoko held door open button as she waited patiently for them to end their chitchat, though the temptation to close the elevator doors on them was very inviting at the moment.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but are you coming in?" She called out, her patience was wearing thin.

"Oh yes, I'm coming. I will talk to you ladies at another time, please take care."

"You too, Yashiro-san."

A man with short brown hair and glasses entered the elevator. "I'm sor-"

His sentence was broken off the moment he laid eyes on Kyoko. The odd pause and his stare of unabashed curiosity made her uncomfortable; her wariness instinctively rose up a notch.

"I'm sorry about the wait," he stated shortly after recovering from the startling silence.

"That's okay."

Kyoko saw the puzzled expression on the man's face when he took a look at the buttons panel. Feeling the need to explain herself, she quickly jumped in using the same excuse.

"I pressed the wrong floor, I meant to go to the ninth floor instead."

"Ah, I see."

He selected the sixth floor button on the panel and they both rode the elevator in awkward silence for a moment.

"It's funny," he began as he pushed his glasses up his nose. His gesture reminded Kyoko of a relentless detective who was about to see through a criminal's lie. "I know most of the staff on the ninth floor but I don't believe we've met before. Do you work on that floor?"

Crap, this was not good. This was not good at all.

"No. I um…" her mind suddenly became blank as she struggled to come up with a plausible lie. "I have…I came here for…"

"Are you here for the newcomer casting audition?"

"Yes…Yes!" Kyoko admitted all too excitedly on a spur of the moment. "I'm here to participate as a candidate! That's exactly what I came here for!"

"Is that so? Isn't that interesting." Again with the detective's tone of voice but he made no further comments.

The elevator doors opened as they finally reached his destination. The man exited out of the elevator, but he turned around unexpectedly and said, "Well, I wish you the best of luck with your audition."

Kyoko forced a smile and gave a meek thank you in reply.

It was only when the doors were closed once again that she was able to exhale a deep breath that she'd been holding in. This had really turned out to be one hell of an eventful elevator ride for her.

 **X X X**

Ren sat in front of a long rectangular mirror with lights surrounding the edges like borders, placidly allowing the makeup artist to style his hair and apply subtle powdered makeup to even out his skin tone on camera. He had a photo shoot later today to take promotional photos for the upcoming drama series, Love of Fortune.

"I'm sorry that you have to use the shared dressing room instead of your own, Tsuruga-san," the makeup artist named Sarah apologized with sincerity while applying some sort of leave-in conditioner throughout his hair.

Most of the time he didn't bother to pay heed to the hair products that were used on him. If it was up to him, all he needed was his hands to mold his hair into the shape that he wanted with his favored choice of hair gel. But for work purposes he had no problem sitting through time consuming hair treatments, to achieve the desired camera-ready appearances that were required for television.

"It's not even your fault so there's no need for apologies," Ren replied in a friendly manner, and he meant it.

"The maintenance worker mentioned that he will be able to finish changing the air vent filters by the end of the day today, so your room should be ready to use tomorrow."

"It's no trouble at all, I know the maintenance is needed and for my benefit. It would be callous of me to be any less accepting."

His response seemed to please her. "You know Tsuruga-san, I've met and worked with many celebrities in this line of business, but none of them are half as considerate and accommodating as you."

"I'm just treating others as I wish to be treated."

"Well it's appreciated nonetheless. Your hair and makeup are done. There is already a matching outfit prepared for you when you're ready. Why don't you try it on while I get the other suits for you from the laundry room so that we can make alterations on the spot if needed?"

"Sounds like a plan. Thank you for your help, Sarah."

"My pleasure." She smiled and was just about to take her leave when there was a knock at the door.

Sarah opened the door for Yukihito and gave him a small nod of her head as she passed him on the way out of the room.

As soon as the door was closed, Yukihito came up to Ren and gave him a suspiciously wide smirk. He looked like there was something exciting that he couldn't wait to share but he only stared at Ren wordlessly. Was he waiting for Ren to take the bait first and ask?

When Ren refused to fall for his trap, Yukihito couldn't help himself and asked, "Guess who I ran into in the elevator just now?!"

"Akira Maeno?" She was a rising young Japanese singer and songwriter that Yukihito had admired since her debut single had been released last summer. That would explain his fervent enthusiasm.

"Akira Maeno is here?!" His manager's eyes budged.

"No, but I would have guessed she was based on your excitement."

"Oh. Yeah, it would be very nice if I can meet her in person one day…" stated Yukihito as he stared far into the distance almost dreamingly. "But never mind that for now. I saw that girl from the lobby the other day."

Ren had a faint idea of who his manager was referring to but he didn't want to jump to conclusions, so he let him continue.

"Remember the girl who was demanding the President's presence and then embracing him lovingly in public? She mentioned her name to the receptionist that day but I don't remember it…"

Ren remembered.

Kyoko Mogami.

He almost wanted to test the name on his tongue but decided to remain silent.

There was something arresting about that girl.

 _It was her eyes_ , he had told himself at first. Even from a distance, he couldn't help noticing how golden-colored and intense they were.

That day Ren had kept watching her at the lobby even though he didn't know what had brought on his unbecoming curiosity. Then he'd realized that it was more than her eyes that he found fascinating. She talked with her hands, her eyes and her whole body. She was as animated a woman as he had ever seen, yet there was something more to her. Something sensual as his revived memories recalled the night when he had first met her by the shore and how she'd moved her hands down her body.

"She came to see the President again!" His manager disclosed, reeling Ren's distracted thoughts back to reality. "At first she tried to hide the fact that she was heading to the top floor where the President's office is, so she also pressed the button for the ninth floor and told me that she selected the wrong floor by mistake."

"Maybe she really did press the wrong button and was going to the ninth floor instead," Ren justified, trying to remain unbiased.

Yukihito smirked again. "Hah, I know hard evidence is needed so that's why I tricked her into self-disclosure."

Ren turned to his manager and this time he asked with interest, "How did you trick her?"

"I told her that I don't recognize her as an employee here so I asked if she works on the ninth floor. She appeared all nervous and started stuttering. A person doesn't stutter unless they're in stressful situations and becoming anxious. So I gave her a way out and asked if she was here for the newcomer casting audition and she actually said yes."

When his manager didn't get the desirable reaction that he had been anticipating from Ren, Yukihito continued as if he needed to connect the dots of his storytelling for him.

"But ninth floor is where the Marketing and Finance teams are located, so why would she tell me she's having an audition on the floor with corporate departments only? That's because she's hiding the fact that she's seeing the President!"

There was a moment of silence as Ren remained straight-faced. Yukihito could be unexpectedly shifty with his tactics.

"Are you not surprised like I was? Am I going to get any reaction out of you at all?"

"It's too bad that you didn't choose to be a detective for your profession, Yashiro-san. It's really a waste of your potential." Ren made a mental note to remind himself to be extra careful around his manager in the future.

If his manager had detected a hint of sarcasm, then he didn't show it.

"Do you think she's really the President's lover? She's young enough to be his daughter though," he asked inquisitively, rubbing his chin.

"I don't really care because it's none of my business." It was the truth. Or at least it was half-true since he felt the irrational urge to unearth the mystery of their connection too. Somehow the thought of them in an intimate relationship irritated Ren, a surge of annoyance so unusual that it startled him.

 _It's their age-gap_ , he convinced himself. _Just like Yukihito said, Lory is twice her age, old enough to be her dad_.

Yes, that must have been it. The girl also looked underage too so that would have made it morally wrong if Lory was indeed dating her.

"But are you even a bit curious about their relationship?"

"Nope," he lied. "I have other priorities to-"

Yukihito's cell phone rang, interrupting their conversation. His manager quickly answered the call and motioned to Ren that he would take the call outside.

Ren turned to look at himself in mirror. Whatever relationship those two had, it really had absolutely nothing to do with him. Rather than prying into other people's lives, he should keep his head in the game and focus on work-related matters instead. With his motivation restored, Ren picked up the attire that was perfectly laid out on the couch and walked towards the corner of the dressing room to change.

 **X X X**

"You want to _what_?" Kyoko couldn't believe her ears. She wasn't quite sure if she had fully understood her uncle's career proposition.

Truth be told, she'd been having this nudging suspicion that he had called her to meet up today to discuss work. But this was definitely something completely unexpected.

"I will be establishing a new section within LME and I want you to be the first member," he patiently watched her reaction and waited.

"And what do I have to do as a member…?" She had no idea what her uncle might want and whatever his proposal, she had a feeling she would not like it one bit.

"It will be more or less an assistant type of role that requires you to provide support to other departments in the company." When Kyoko only responded with an uncertain frown, he urged on and said, "Think of yourself as a floater who will be performing a variety of duties whenever the need arises."

"Uncle Caterpillar," Kyoko began, reminding herself to tread carefully with her choice of words. "While I appreciate the time and effort you've put into this plan, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity, but don't you think it'd be a lot less troublesome to just have me work as a secretary instead?"

"For someone with such high energy levels as yourself, do you think you can cope well with a job behind a desk for eight to ten hours a day?"

He did have a point. At the same time, was it a good idea though?

She stared at her uncle without seeing him, trying to imagine herself in the new role. It wasn't that she couldn't do the work, she'd worked at a variety of different part-time jobs while she was in New York and had developed all the required skillsets, so she knew she could manage this role too. The question was, did she _want_ to?

Uncle Caterpillar had made himself very clear that he had wanted to do something for her, including giving her a position in his company so he could watch over her as an elder. An obligement for old time's sake, and Kyoko wasn't sure if she would ever be able to repay his kindness.

 _And no, it is more than that,_ she realized.

She knew that if she accepted his offer then it would allow her to build a stronger relationship with him, the familial type that she hadn't felt in a very long time. But she knew that given her dire situation, if she was recognized then she would have to quickly leave and go into hiding again. She knew that she would cause grief and pain to someone who had been nothing but supportive to her since she was a child and she wasn't sure that she wanted to put him through that.

"Uncle Caterpillar, I don't think-"

He lifted his hand, interrupting her from continuing. "I know what you want to say. As your father's close friend and as your elder, it is my responsibility to take care of you in your father's place until when he returns and you can resume a normal life. And frankly, everything has been decided so you will do as I say whether you agree to it or not."

In other words, this was an absolute order that she couldn't disobey. Although Kyoko was fully aware that he had just pulled the card of being their only family friend on her, there was little room for a refusal without being disrespectful.

Kyoko bit back an attempt to sigh. Maybe it was a sign and she was meant to accept this job offer. After all there was no point in reuniting with her Uncle Caterpillar if she was never meant to re-bond with him again, was there?

Taking a deep breath and hoping that she was making the right decision, she told him, "I understand uncle and I will accept this proposal."

He clapped his hands in happiness at her response. "That's great, Kyoko! I knew you would accept this opportunity."

 _As if you gave me much choice here…_ she thought to herself while giving him a weak smile.

"And you know, we even have a name for this section too," he grinned widely at her.

"Oh yeah? What's the name?"

"It will be called the 'Love Me Section'!" He announced with both palms placed over his chest.

Kyoko immediately burst into laughter and repeated after him, "' _Love Me Section'_?!"

He paused for a few seconds before asking curiously, "What's so funny about the name?"

"That's such a cheesy name! I can't believe someone in their right mind would come up with something that!"

He remained quiet.

Kyoko continued in between her laughs. "Did your Marketing team suggest that name, uncle? If so then please tell them to change it, this is way too embarrassing even for me."

"Actually _I_ was the one who came up with that name."

That confession instantly annihilated Kyoko's laughter. Her body became rigid from nervousness as she ventured a daring peek at her uncle's face.

"But of course, an old man like me can only come up with cheesy names like that."

"Uncle I didn't mean-"

"And now I can't help but feeling a little hurt," he said with a hand covering his face.

"I'm so sorry, uncle!" Kyoko rose from the sofa abruptly and bowed at him apologetically. "I didn't mean to offend you with my rudeness. Please forgive me! On second thought, the name is already growing on me and I think it is very appealing!"

"Are you sure it's not too cheesy and embarrassing even for you?"

"No, no, no. Absolutely not! It will be my greatest honor to become a Love Me Section member!"

He lifted his head up. "Don't force yourself."

"Oh I _insist_ to have that name, Uncle Caterpillar!" She reassured him a beaming smile.

"If you insist," he stood up and started walking to the corner of the office. "I also have your uniform prepared too."

"Uniform? Uniform is good. That's awesome, I'm very excited to see my work uniform!"

Kyoko followed after her uncle, feeling as if she had just dodged a bullet. If only she could learn to shut up and stop saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, she would avoid a lot of the unnecessary trouble.

"Here's your uniform! What do you think?" He spun around with another big grin, holding up the bright bumble-gum hot pink jumpsuit by the hanger.

Kyoko's smile dropped and was immediately replaced with a frown. Not bothering to answer, she turned on her heels to leave but her uncle made a grab at the back of her denim jacket, pulling her back.

"It's very rude to leave in the middle of a conversation, Kyoko."

"Quit pulling my legs here, Uncle Caterpillar! The name is one thing, but how can you expect me to wear _that_ in public?! This is pure humiliation!" she shouted while struggling to shake off his iron grip.

So much for trying to be discreet about her appearance. Murasame could probably see her from the moon if she wore this! Not a chance! No way in hell she would put this on!

"That's enough, Kyoko!" His voice rose enough to remind Kyoko of his authority. "I already told you everything has been decided, and you will go along with it even if you don't like it."

She stopped with her struggles and slumped her shoulders forward in defeat. There was just no way she could win against him.

"Hmm, seems like it's a size too big for you," he noticed as he placed the jumpsuit against her back for a quick measurement. "I will have someone alter this for you so it will be ready when you start work next Monday."

"Next Monday?! So soon? But I still have my part-time job at the fast food restaurant…"

"Then quit there this weekend," he stated matter-of-factly. "Now go and speak to Takenori Sawara, he will be the manager for the Love Me Section and will be assigning you with different tasks and assignments. I've already made arrangements with him so he is expecting you right now."

He passed her the man's business name card with a contact number on it. "Go and find him on the sixth floor, his office is the third one to the right when you get off the elevator. He will provide orientation around the company before you leave."

Kyoko nodded and was about to dismiss herself but she couldn't help trying one more time. "So about the uniform…May I make a small suggestion?"

Although he didn't interrupt her, he squinted his eyes at her in silence.

"Is that look a no…? I can't really tell when you're not saying anything…" She was definitely pushing her luck.

The silence stretched on as he crossed his arms.

"Well, can't say I didn't try, haha…" with that, Kyoko quickly left his office to meet this Takenori Sawara guy.

 **X X X**

It took Kyoko a good five minutes to get back down to the sixth floor. There was definitely heavier traffic on this level, with more employees passing by the hallways as they scurried to their work destinations. She wondered if she would fit in a substantial company like LME Agency. After all, her previous work experience had been limited to restaurants, convenience stores and cafes. Knowing that she had just secured a position within apparently one of the biggest talent agencies in Japan was somewhat unnerving for her.

Kyoko figured she would make a good use of the opportunity during this orientation and ask as many questions as she could about the company, including her responsibilities so that she would be well prepared on her official first day. Luckily she had always kept a palm-size notebook in her bag at all times to jot down notes when situations called for it.

"Third room to the right after I get off the elevator…so it should be this one," Kyoko mumbled to herself and stopped in front of a room with no sign around.

With Takenori Sawara's business card still in her hand, she gave the door a faint knock but received no response.

When she knocked more firmly and there was still no answer, she let herself into the room. The moment she walked in, she noticed the makeup vanity tables, lighted mirrors, and an opened makeup case sitting on top of the surface; a few metal racks full of hanging clothes were stationed at the side. It took a full second for her confused mind to register that she had just entered a fitting room instead of an office.

Just when she realized that she may have possibly made a mistake and went into the wrong room, a voice called out and asked, "Yashiro-san, is that you?"

The instant Kyoko heard a male's voice, she panicked. _Oh my God, there's a man behind the curtains changing!_

As she was having cold feet and did not want to be mistaken as a female pervert, she decided to flee as soundlessly as she could but the voice called out again. "Yashiro-san?"

Kyoko made a grunting noise as masculine as she could muster, pretending to be whoever this man was looking for so that it would buy her some time while she tiptoed towards the door.

"Could you pass me the pair of grey pants on the couch please?"

She looked around and saw the trouser lying on the couch's armrest next to her. Dragging in an unsteady deep breath, Kyoko hastily grabbed it and rushed up to the closed curtains. Just as she was tossing the trouser over the curtain rod, the business card fell out of her hand.

"Thanks," said the man.

Kyoko's hands fisted in silent frustration at her own clumsiness before crouching down on her all fours to search for the card that slipped under one of the nearby tables. Since her arm wasn't long enough, she had to move in more while sticking her head under a chair so that she could reach further out.

Right when her hand was about to touch the card, the curtains slid open next to her.

"The pants are a bit too tight, I think it needs to be-" The man immediately froze at the sight of her presence, his eyes widening in shock.

Kyoko blinked twice, staring in disbelief at the man's half-naked body; her eyes subconsciously trailed from his hard chest, to the planes of his muscular abdomen, and down towards his navel where he had left his pants unzipped, revealing part of his underpants visible.

Reality jolted Kyoko like a physical blow and out of panic she tried to sit up on her knees, but only succeeded in hitting the back of her head on the underside of the chair with a loud thud. She winced and hissed in pain, already rubbing the back of her head to relieve the soreness.

"Are you alright?" she heard the man ask, his voice sounding genuinely concerned.

Kyoko swore she didn't hear any knocking prior to the door being flung open. From her angle, she saw a pair of man's legs walking into the room as he spoke, "Sorry the call took a whi-"

Then there was an awkward pause again.

"Oh my, what is going on in here?" exclaimed the man at the entrance. She could tell from his tone that he was already jumping to conclusions. A very bad one at that.

"What the hell is this?! Who are you?!" A woman shouted as she stormed past the man and into the room.

Kyoko quickly crawled out and rose to her feet. There was instant recognition between her and the man in the doorway. It was the same man she had met on the elevator earlier today. Great! She had to talk her way out of this!

After giving the other guy a head-to-toe look, the man suggested to him, "Maybe you should get dressed while we handle this."

Kyoko refused to meet eyes with the half-naked man. If she did, she would die from embarrassment right then and there. The man obliged and stepped back into the changing area, swinging the curtains closed.

"Who are you?! How did you get in here?" The woman questioned her with fierce anger.

"I'm so sorry! I was actually looking for Sawara-san but I obviously entered the wron-"

"Why are you looking for Sawara-san?" asked the man with glasses. But just when Kyoko was about to explain further, the woman cut her off again.

"Are you a paparazzi? An obsessed fan who's trying to ambush Tsuruga-san?!"

"What?! No! Who's Tsuruga-san?! I am not trying to _ambush_ him!"

"Ren Tsuruga. You don't know who that is?"

Why did Kyoko have a sense of deju vu with this conversation? While she was trying to come up with an acceptable answer to untangle herself from this mess, the man with glasses suddenly doubled over, bursting into laughter.

"I'm sorry," he struggled to speak in between his laughs. "It's just too unbelievable that there's a girl in Japan who doesn't know who Ren Tsuruga is. It's quite funny!"

What was so damn funny about that! If he wasn't the President of Japan then why should she be obligated to know who he was?!

"Don't let her trick you, Yashiro-san! I'm going to call the police right now so that they can arrest this peeping tom!" The woman took out her mobile phone and starting dialing the numbers on it.

"Wait! No, please just listen to me!" Kyoko pleaded but to no avail. So she decided to do the only thing that she could think of.

"Oh thank god you're here to explain the situation for me!" She turned to the doorway with a huge grin of relief plastered on her face.

The moment the two of them turned their heads to the empty doorway, Kyoko took the fleeting chance and dashed out of the room full speed.

"How dare you trick us! Come back here, peeping tom!" The woman shouted after her but Kyoko refused to turn her head back as she fled the scene.

Once Kyoko reached the lobby, the receptionist stood and bid her farewell with a bow while she ran out of the glass doors. Her legs never stopped running until she was at the corner of the company and she hid behind the building.

Crouching down, Kyoko peered out to make sure no one was chasing after her before she released a sigh of ease. Reliving the moment, she still couldn't believe the situation she found herself in. It had been so embarrassing that she wished the ground would swallow her up so that she could disappear from the face of the earth.

She buried her face in her forearm, leaning against the wall of the building; her other free hand was banging at the wall repeatedly. "I'm so embarrassed that I want to die right now!"

"Is that girl okay?" A passerby asked her friend next to her.

"Didn't you know? LME is holding a newcomer casting audition today. Maybe she didn't make it so now she's crying on the street."

"That poor girl…I've actually considered going but I guess it's a good thing that I changed my mind."

"You? Audition? Don't make me laugh!"

"Eh?! What is that supposed to mean? You're so mean, senpai!"

What did it take for her to have a private moment?! And why did everyone have to talk behind her back as if she wasn't there?! She'd had enough!

She spun around and shot them a glare. "Can't you both carry on your conversation somewhere else?! I was here first!"

Stunned by her sudden outburst, the two scurried away leaving Kyoko by herself once again. Her mind jumped back to the situation at hand. Those people obviously worked for the same company and she would have a lot of explaining to do if she ever bumped into them again.

No, LME Agency was a massive company and it would be easy to avoid them. Even if she was unfortunate enough to meet that guy again, she would just have to run in the opposite direction.

 _Yes, that's the plan._

After all, she was becoming quite an expert in running away.

 **X X X**

 **AUTHOR NOTE:**

First off, I must give a big thank you to those of you who haven't abandoned me and this story yet! I was so happy to see some of the familiar names when I've read the reviews and know that you are still with me! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed / favorited / followed the story since my last update, I was really motivated and hence I was able to complete and post up chapter 5 this weekend!

Special thanks to the following reviewers:

 **Zealith:** You were one of the reasons that got me started writing again after six months. When I received your review in October, I felt so happy (and guilty) that you haven't forgotten about me after so long. I really want to express my thanks to you for your amazing support and for giving me that little nudge (which I'd obviously needed) to write again. I am still terribly sorry that I've made you waited for so long. Thank you!

 **Reihime:** Thank you for not abandoning me even though I've been such a bad writer and made you wait for months! I promise Murasame will make his appearance in this fic (eventually) because I already have plans for him. Thank you for your review!

 **Guest:** I'm sorry that I've made you wait for so many months, Guest. But I'm glad that you haven't given up on this fic yet! Thank you for your continuous support and hope to see you soon again!

 **Miyu Kokomi:** Thank you for your review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

 **Puffinzero:** Yes, I'm alive lol. I am very sorry for the six months of wait time, you are right, it was a really, really long time…but thank you for not abandoning me! I will definitely update more frequently especially when the story plot can finally move along now.

 **Rouus94:** I must say, your reviews were the cutest and I couldn't help but cracked up when I was reading them. You're so cute lol. I promise the plots will only get more interesting from here on and I won't disappoint you! Once again, thank you for staying with me even after I've disappeared for so long.

 **Natsu Heel:** You are so kind, I know the previous chapter wasn't as eventful since it was a filler chapter, but I'm glad to know that you found it interesting. Your wish of seeing Ren and Kyoko's interaction will definitely be fulfilled on next chapter so make sure to stay tune for more! Thank you for your continuous support after all these months, Natsu Heel!

 **Tabbykatroses:** Thank you for providing guidance to me so that I could keep Kyoko in character. I remember your pointers when I wrote chapter 4 and I'm happy to know that I haven't disappointed you. I'm truly sorry for the long wait but I'm glad that you haven't given up on me yet!

Big 'Thank You' to my great friend, **Waltzing Muse**! Thank you for giving me ideas when I was stuck! You are and will always be my FanFiction soul-mate! Love you!

Next chapter will be Kyoko's first day working at LME. What will happen next when she meets Ren again? Stay tune to find out more!

Hope everyone will enjoy the rest of your weekend! I will see you again soon. Happy New Year!


	6. Chapter 6: First Day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now.

 _ **Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)**_

 _Rated_ _ **Teen**_ _for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes._

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Catch Me If You Can**

 **By: Swanna**

 **XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

 **Chapter 6: First Day**

It was already ten past nine on a Sunday night by the time Kyoko returned from her part-time job at the fast food restaurant. It was her last day working there and guilt flooded her for quitting her position so suddenly, leaving her coworkers behind. Although she had only worked there for a month, she got along with her coworkers very well and already felt really close to them. That was why they were both shocked and saddened by the unexpected news but they still wished her all the best.

On her way home, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right decision in agreeing to work at LME Agency. Did she say yes to Uncle Caterpillar too quickly?

Kyoko was exhausted when she got home. She quickly showered and retired to her bedroom for the evening, trying to push the doubt and guilt from her mind. She went through her nightly routine and changed into her cotton pajamas, and wrapped herself up in the warm quilt as she crawled underneath it. She was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.

Shortly after Kyoko dozed off, she was jolted out of her sleep by the sound of her ringing phone. A groan escaped her when she reached over to her bedside table. Her hand felt around on the bedside table first, hitting the alarm clock, then the light, before feeling the familiar shape of her smartphone. Easing her eyes open, she hit 'answer' and let the phone rest on her ear while she laid back down.

"Kyoko," the man on the phone exclaimed before she could say a word. "I've been trying to reach you for the past hour."

"Un-uncle Caterpillar?" She asked groggily as she sat right up in bed. Hearing his voice made her suddenly wide awake – very wide awake. "You have?"

"I just spoke with Takenori on the phone and he said that you never showed up for the orientation on Friday. What happened? Didn't you go straight to him after you left my office that day?"

 _Oh crap!_ Kyoko smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and cursed herself silently. She'd been so badly frightened by the incident in the dressing room that day that she had completely forgotten about the orientation.

"I…uh…I couldn't find his office…" she lied, scrunching her face up.

"What do you mean you couldn't find his office?" His voice was sounding slightly exasperated now. "I _specifically_ told you that his office is on the sixth floor, third one to the left."

"No, Uncle Caterpillar. That was-" Kyoko paused as she remembered something else. "Wait a minute…You told me it's the third room to the _right_."

"No I didn't. I said _left_."

"No…! You said right!"

"Why would I tell you right when it's located on the left side?"

It was her turn to be irked. "I…I don't know! You tell me!"

There was silence on the phone.

"Did I really say his office is to the right?"

"Yes!"

"I guess I'm getting old, my memory isn't what it used to be," he said sheepishly.

"Uncle Caterpillar…" Kyoko flopped face down onto her pillow, her open palm slamming the mattress, feeling utterly embarrassed and defeated. "You have no idea what you put me through…"

"What are you talking about? What's the third room to the right?"

Kyoko refused to speak or move. She just wanted to disappear from the face of the Earth as she continued burying her face into the pillow.

"If I remember correctly this time, the right side should be where the closet rooms and dressing rooms are loca-" All of a sudden he broke into an evil chuckle. "Did you walk in on someone changing and saw something that you shouldn't have?"

Panicking, Kyoko bolted upright into a full sitting position, clutching the pillow to her chest. "Wh-what? N-no! Of course not!"

His chuckle became a full-throated, gloating laugh. "Then why are you overreacting like this?"

"Who says I'm overreacting?" Okay, she totally was. But she'd rather be run over by a bus than admit she'd made a shameful mistake.

"You know you can spill the beans to your Uncle Caterpillar. I can keep secrets."

Not that she didn't trust him enough to tell him about it, but _some_ secrets shouldn't just be kept quiet, they should be buried!

"There are no beans to spill. I'm just nervous about my first day working at LME tomorrow." Kyoko abruptly faked a yawn, trying to cut the conversation short. "Anyway, it's getting late and I'm really tired, I'm going to sleep now. I will see you tomorrow!"

"Wait, Kyoko-"

"Goodnight, Uncle Caterpillar!" Kyoko ended the call hastily and tossed the phone on the bed. If they'd continued their conversation then he would've definitely seen through her lies. That was too close of a call for her.

With a heavy sigh, she plopped onto her mattress again, her mind racing as images from the incident flashed across her brain involuntarily. She wasn't able to see the guy's face clearly from her angle under the table that day, but she remembered his body with painful clarity. She'd seen many topless men before, especially at beaches; he shouldn't be any different. Unfortunately she couldn't be any more wrong about that.

The tall, young man was all male and more impressive without clothes than she could have possibly imagined. He was muscular without looking like a weight lifter. Kyoko had to confess, she did have a _very_ difficult time looking away from the smooth skin of his shoulders, over the broad plane of his chest and down the hard, ridged muscles of his abdomen to his navel…

 _STOP!_

Her mind screamed at her, completely taken aback in utter confusion at her own indecency and shamelessness. She had never fantasized about a man's body, until now. No, tonight she'd simply let her animalistic feelings get in the way of her common sense. Just like a wild animal driven by pure primal instinct. There was nothing more and nothing less.

Kyoko squirmed, hugging a pillow in both hands and rolled over to stare up at the ceiling as she tried to convince herself the embarrassing moment was best forgotten. Besides, she believed the odds of running into him in such a large company like LME Agency were very small. Though she could be wrong. But if her luck was against her and they did run into each other, she doubted he'd recognize her. That's right. It wasn't like he was paying attention to her anyway. And if even he did recognize her face, she would simply apologize and be on her way.

Kyoko's self-reassurance lifted her spirit and her rumination on that day gradually diminished. She should focus and prepare for her new job instead. Kyoko closed her eyes and soon she started falling asleep on her last, and pleasant thought – that tomorrow would be a good day and a new beginning for her.

 **X X X**

By the next morning, Kyoko woke up feeling enormously better. She had a plan for succeeding in her new job and knew how to accomplish it. The first thing she had to do was to show up for work early, properly dressed and then put in extra hours if necessary. Putting on a pair of black skinny dress pants and a white, cotton blouse, she headed downstairs to tell her landlords that she'd be gone for the rest of the day, and then rode her bicycle to work.

Kyoko was thirty minutes early by the time she arrived at LME Agency. Drawing a deep breath, she walked into the company. The inside of the building was bright and clean as always. It was a fact that always struck Kyoko the moment she walked into the place, but this time she entered as an employee and it made her nervous. There was something hopeful about it, something cultivating. She really liked LME Agency, and she was genuinely glad to be granted an opportunity to be a part of this amazing company.

With a smile she approached the all too familiar front desk and from behind it, yet another charming secretary with long blonde hair greeted her. Just how many secretaries were there for this one front desk position?

"May I help you?"

"My name is Kyoko Mogami. I'm here to see Sawara-san," said Kyoko.

"Did you have an appointment, Mogami-san?"

"No, it's my first day working here and I've been told to contact Sawara-san once I arrived."

The secretary nodded, looking relieved that it was nothing complicated. "I'll inform Sawara-san right now. Please have a seat first."

Kyoko walked towards the waiting area and positioned herself in a plushy, leather seat. The lobby was already busy with staff and visitors, despite the early hour. After another five minutes, a middle-aged man with a gentle and kind face walked up to her.

"You must be Kyoko."

Kyoko didn't know if she was thrilled or alarmed that this man knew her name, but assuming that he was Takenori Sawara, she quickly stood up and bowed. "Yes I am, and I'm truly sorry for missing our orientation last Friday, Sawara-san."

"Ah yes, I was expecting you that day but you never showed up," he eyed her critically for a moment. His expression was stern, like a teacher who thought he'd caught a student skipping class. "I hope we won't seeing this type of behavior from you once you start working here."

She became perplexed and only a lie would do now. "No, no! Of course not. I…I just had an emergency that day so I missed the orientation but I promise it won't happen again."

"I certainly hope so," commented Takenori as he started walking away. Kyoko quickened her strides to catch up nervously when he continued. "All LME Agency employees are incredibly hard-working and dedicated. If you don't share the same level of commitment to your role then you will be replaced by someone more competent, do you understand me?"

She stepped in front of him, blocking his path and eager to rectify the situation that she had put herself in. It grieved her to know that she'd made such a bad first impression on her first day already.

"Absolutely! I will give 120% in everything I do and I will also work very hard until I drop dead! I promise!" Kyoko sounded desperate even to her own ears.

"I don't need you to work until you drop dead." He was clearly taken aback, lifting his eyebrows. "You're no use to us if you're dead."

Realizing that she was invading his personal space, she took a step back and bowed again. "Once again I apologize for all the inconvenience I caused."

He waved his hand dismissively. "My schedule is quite packed today, so the orientation will have to wait until another day. But I will show you the way to the change room so that you can get changed before you start your first assignment."

They continued walking alongside each other again as Takenori led the way towards a well-lit corridor. He then spoke again, "The President mentioned you to me."

"Oh," said Kyoko, hoping that Uncle Caterpillar had kept his promise.

In fact, he should have said very little about her since she'd forced him to keep their relationship under the radar. Kyoko wanted to prove herself without aid from him, but most importantly she didn't want his employees to start spreading rumors about him in the offices. As the President of LME Agency, Uncle Caterpillar had a reputation to uphold and protect. Although he would do all he could to protect her, at the same time she must keep his reputation in mind.

Takenori grinned. "He only told me that he saw lots of potential in you during your school play in New York two years ago, so he decided to recruit you to LME Agency."

"Ah yes, the President was invited to our school as a special guest for our school play at the time." It was a story that they'd made up together about their past in case anyone asked.

"But one thing I don't understand," he frowned. "He also mentioned that you refused to work in front of the camera, so why did he hire you and even establish a new section just for you?"

"He…he didn't explain why?"

Takenori shook his head. "No. He told me to ask you if I really want to know."

What a way to put the ball in her court, forcing her to be deceitful again. "I can explain…the reason why I can't be on camera is because…"

"Because…?"

"Because of my stalker."

"St-stalker?!" he gasped, eyes becoming large at the shocking revelation.

"Yes, stalker." Kyoko inhaled deeply before continuing her fabricated story. "Back in New York, I had a psychopath stalker who was head over heels obsessed with me and he was watching me all the time. He tormented me with perverse notes and creepy phone calls."

Takenori listened very attentively to her, showing astonishment at times and exclaiming frequently with indignation. "One night he even broke into my home and left a love letter and a bouquet of roses for me. That was the last straw for me and I left New York."

"You didn't try to get help from the police?" he asked with concern.

"Of course I did but they kept telling me they had no clues that could lead them to the perpetrator and eventually the case turned cold."

He finally nodded as if he understood her predicament and remained quiet. "That is why I can't work in front of cameras in case my stalker finds me."

Takenori sighed, his eyes filled with sympathy. "I understand…It must've been very frightening for you. I'm sorry to hear what you've gone through, Kyoko."

"Yeah, me too," Kyoko replied quietly, her attempts to hide the truth turned into a huge, pounding guilt.

"Don't worry," he said, smiling and placing his hand on her shoulder. "In that case, I will be more selective of the jobs that I will accept and assign to you."

"Thank you so much, Sawara-san...I-"

"You need to say no more," he said again, soothingly. "Your uniform is prepared for you inside so go on ahead and get changed. I will wait for you out here."

She nodded and complied before entering the spacious, empty change room. Her descriptions of her stalker was intricate and detailed because half of them were true. Murasame had always been following her like a stalker and had left her flowers and love notes, though he had not broken into her home. So not everything she said just now was a complete fabrication, though she did create some lies on the spot and expanded them as her wild imagination got the better of her.

At the same time, Kyoko wasn't pleased with her own peculiar little tales that she had to tell. She really shouldn't get used to lying. In fact, she hated it. She felt guilty for lying and she wanted nothing more than to tell the landlords, Uncle Caterpillar and Sawara-san the truth. But then she would feel guilty for wanting to tell the truth because she promised to herself not to talk about her past and Murasame as it would get others involved into her nightmares.

 _It's all Murasame's fault!_ Kyoko thought grudgingly as her eyes fell upon the hot pink jumpsuit placed on top of the metal bench. She could only hope that she wouldn't face divine punishments for all her lying in the afterlife.

 **X X X**

Ren's morning was going quite well. He had just finished a conference call with a reporter to advertise the upcoming new drama series, Love of Fortune. But judging from what the reporter had shared with him, it seemed like the audiences' positive response to the series was greater than he'd expected. Along with the mass-marketing hype and the crew's combined efforts, Love of Fortune could become a huge success and a true phenomenon for the year.

Since the call took up almost an hour of Ren's time, Yukihito had suggested him to have a quick breakfast at the LME Agency's cafeteria before heading over to the filming set. Today was the first day filming for Love of Fortune and he was rather excited and energetic about this project; he felt confident in his ability to create this story and to portray his character with vigor and accuracy.

He just bit into his chicken salad sandwich when his manager entered into the cafeteria filled with employees. Hurriedly he looked around, spotted Ren and purposefully marched towards him.

"You came," Ren said as he slid the food tray towards Yukihito. "I bought you coffee and a ham and egg sandwich."

Unfortunately Yukihito's interest seemed to be centered on something else when he asked, "Have you seen the President's memo this morning?"

"What memo?" Ren was unsure what to make of his manager, who looked like he was about to explode from the excitement of conspiratorial gossip.

"I knew you didn't read it. I forwarded the email to myself. Check my phone," he managed to say in between his panting and quickly took out his smartphone.

"Have some water and catch your breath first." Ren surveyed him with solace. "You should go back to the gym, Yashiro-san. You're out of shape."

Yukihito took a big gulp from the glass of water before continuing. "I ran all the way here. Everyone upstairs is buzzing about it. Here it is."

He opened the email file and showed it to Ren on his phone. After quickly skimming the message, he asked, "Are you talking about the new Love Me Section? I already know about it."

"And?" Yukihito urged as if he was unsatisfied with Ren's lack of reaction.

"And while I think it was a ridiculous plan, I'm sure the President has his reasons for establishing a new department," Ren spoke the truth.

Lory's plans were inscrutable to them, but he was known as an eccentric man and inaugurated many impractical measures. So this news did not come as a surprise to Ren. From the start, he had pegged the President to be even more unconventional than he'd been. Therefore he couldn't understand what all the commotion was about since the sudden whirl of activity rousted the entire company.

"Oh I see," Yukihito suddenly leaned back with a triumphant grin on his face, as if he knew something that Ren didn't. "So you don't know yet."

Ren almost cringed, knowing that he wasn't going to enjoy the conversation he was about to have with his manager.

"The President hired Kyoko Mogami to be the first and only Love Me Section member," his eyebrows shot up to somewhere around his hairline, a small smile playing on his lips. "And I'm pretty sure that is the same girl who's been seeing the President."

Ren absentmindedly took another bite of his sandwich even though his appetite was gone now, thanks to Yukihito.

"Sometimes the President can be sly as a fox huh?"

"Maybe he just wanted to promote a new artist by using an unorthodox method," Ren said, trying to mean it, but he didn't even sound convincing to himself. He sounded uncertain.

As if sensing his weak willpower, Yukihito decided to deliver the final blow. One that would permanently crush all opposition. "Or this whole Love Me Section is only a cover for the President to keep her close by him so that they can have a secret affair without others knowing it. Only he's able to hatch a plan like this to hit two birds with one stone. You have to admit, even the name of the department is quite scandalous-"

Thinking that he had heard enough, Ren rose from the table rather abruptly, pushing back his chair to cut Yukihito off. His manager's eyes flew to his instinctively, confused. "You're done? But you haven't finished your breakfast yet."

"I have an elaborate scene to film today. It's going to take me some time to prepare for it. I'll eat there," Ren picked up his water bottle, already heading for the exit without waiting for his manager.

He strolled out of the cafeteria, feeling his body reacted suddenly to the new disclosure. He tried to ignore the staggering sensation, the seeds of frustration that started growing like a tree to rise up from his stomach. Ren had already told himself to stay out of it. He might be close to Lory as he understood Ren's _circumstances_ as nobody ever had, but that man's personal life was none of Ren's business.

 _Not my concern_ , Ren told himself again, but soon he grew distracted at the sight of Takenori and the girl who stepped out of the locker room.

"Ren, maybe we should-" Yukihito's sentence was cut short as soon as he saw her. "Is that the girl, Kyoko Mogami?"

"Yashiro-san, can you please get the car first? I will join you in the underground parking lot shortly," he asked, without looking away from her.

Yukihito appeared surprised but didn't pose further questions, even though he evidently wasn't aware of Ren's impending plan nor his reason for the request. Ren waited until his manager got into the elevator before walking towards Takenori and the girl.

 **X X X**

"What do you think?" asked Takenori, giving her an assessing look from head to toe the moment she came out of the change room in her hot pink jumpsuit.

"The uniform makes me look like a piece of walking, talking bubblegum," Kyoko replied, not bothering to hide her embarrassment. Somehow she knew he would understand and empathize. She was just glad that she wouldn't be seen wearing this on the streets.

"Well, the President does have a flashy fashion sense but you will get used to it in no time."

She squinted her eyes at him. "It's easy for you to say that when it's not _you_ wearing a hot pink jumpsuit."

"Good morning, Sawara-san," the voice was soft, the tone amused. "This must be the new member from the Love Me Section."

The man came to stand behind her so silently, she wouldn't have known he was there if it wasn't for the words he uttered and the way he smelled. There was nothing else like that masculine, woody scent.

She took a deep breath and a step forward before turning to face him. The impact hit her like a physical blow. He was handsome. No… _beautiful_. His brown eyes were so warm and his gaze was so penetrating, as if some heavenly artist had crushed smoky quartz into paint and then colored in his irises with the finest brush.

Kyoko was still reeling from the visual shock when strands of his black hair fell forward slightly as he tilted his head at her. But black was too tame a word for it. It was so pure that it held echoes of the moonless night, vivid and passionate. His hair was cut in careful layers that stopped at the nape of his neck, it framed the sharp facial features of his face; hair that looked so silky smooth, it made her fingers curl with the urge to touch it.

"Or am I mistaken?" he asked, breaking her out of her trance.

She blinked, then felt her face color, having no idea how long she'd been gaping at him like an idiot. "Yes. I…I mean no, you're not mistaken."

"Yes, this is Kyoko Mogami and today is her first day working here," Takenori added before turning to Kyoko. "And I assume you already know who _he_ is."

"Huh?" Kyoko became puzzled. Was she supposed to know who this man was?

"Mogami-san and I met before," his smile bore a hint of mockery that she didn't understand. "The last time we met, Mogami-san already mentioned that she didn't know who I am."

Now it was Takenori's turn to drop his jaw in amazement. "You don't know who Ren Tsuruga is?!"

"Re-Ren Tsuruga…?"

The name rang a deafening bell in Kyoko's head, it sounded very recent. Yes…of course, she'd heard that name only a few days ago. Her eyes opened wide in shock; all color drained from her face as she tried her hardest to avoid eye contact.

"You're probably the only female in Tokyo who doesn't know who Ren is," Takenori mocked with a chuckle, rubbing more salt into her wounds before glancing down at his watch. "Okay, enough wasting time. I have to quickly explain your first assignment and how your performance will be evaluated since I have a meeting to attend soon."

"Sawara-san, I can do that and explain to Mogami-san if you like," Ren was quick to offer.

"Not that I don't appreciate you trying to jump in and help, Ren, but I don't want to take up your time knowing that you always have a busy schedule."

"I have some free time now so it will be fine," Ren reassured him good-naturedly.

"If that's the case then yes, please explain everything to Kyoko." Takenori took out a small plastic box from inside of his suit coat's pocket and handed it to Ren. "Her first assignment is to buy lunch for Mori-san."

"No problem, I will see that Mogami-san is taken care of."

With that being last said, Takenori walked away, leaving Kyoko alone with Ren. His warm presence filled her senses and she became very aware of him standing beside her. He peered at her face, making her heart race.

"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards the end of the corridor.

Kyoko only nodded, not trusting herself to speak, afraid that she would say the wrong thing to embarrass herself again. They started walking side by side down the long hallway as Ren began explaining more about the Love Me Section and the point stamp system, which would be used by others to evaluate her performance based on their satisfaction. While she was listening attentively, she couldn't stop a weird thought that came to her mind – she liked his voice. It was deep, soothing and relaxing, each word confidently enunciated, as if he were in no rush to finish it off before heading to the next one.

Soon silence fell as he finished speaking and Kyoko thought that perhaps she should take the initiative and opportunity to apologize for her mistake. Ren had been kind enough to provide guidance to her. On this occasion, she felt that an apology was in order.

"Tsuruga-san…I apologize for not knowing who you are. I grew up in the States and so I didn't really follow Japan's media in the past decade. I'm sorry, please don't take any offense."

It wasn't that Kyoko didn't want to follow Japan's media and entertainment industry while she'd lived in New York, email and internet was a luxury that she didn't have. In fact she didn't even own a computer, though how that was possible in this century, she didn't know. But she'd used the computers at the library for writing papers and research before she'd finally dropped out of school. However, not wanting Ren to have the wrong impression about her, she decided he didn't need to know all the details.

Ren was gracious and smiled. "I am not offended. Saddened, yes, but no offense taken."

Wait…did he just say what she thought he said? He was _saddened_ that she didn't know of him? What did _that_ even mean?

He continued. "In fact, I hope we can get to know each other better in the near future since we both work for the same company now."

Yes, so did Kyoko. She wanted to know more about him personally too. She wanted to know what his favorite color was, what kind of food he liked, if he liked listening to music. She wanted to know more; she wanted to know everything about him.

 _But doesn't that make me a female version of Murasame?_ She slapped herself mentally, self-loathing thoughts quickly spiraling through her mind. While she was bashing herself in disgust, she remembered that she also owed him an apology for something else.

"By the way, about that day…I didn't mean to walk in on you changing," Kyoko stopped her steps and bowed deeply at him. "I'm very sorry!"

"Please don't concern yourself over it, Mogami-san," he replied, smiling. "By the way, what made you decide to join LME Agency? Do you have a passion for acting?"

Although Kyoko was grateful for the change of subject, she wasn't sure what to tell him besides the truth. "I actually have no interest in acting or becoming an actress."

It was sudden but Kyoko thought she saw anger flash across his face, sending a chill of terror down her spine. "Then why did you join show business?"

She swallowed. It was a legit question, and one that she had to pause to consider. "I was curious…?"

"Curiosity, you say? Careful though, there are times when curiosity has to be put on hold, times when curiosity could get you into trouble." His tone was a blade that whispered warning. Then the same friendly smile returned again as he held the door for her. "This is the cafeteria. After you, Mogami-san."

It all happened so fast that Kyoko found herself wondering if she'd imagined his hostility towards her for that very brief moment. But she quickly shook it off and focused on the task at hand. Her attention was centered on the wide variety of food selections on the lunch menu, amazed at the options available. Ren stood next to her, looking up at the menu board.

"I'm not sure what to get," she confessed timidly.

"The chicken teriyaki rice is pretty popular here," he stated. "It's one of my favorite dishes from this cafeteria."

"Oh really? Then why don't I just get that for Mori-san?" she said with excitement and was already placing her order with the female cashier, who seemed to be too preoccupied ogling Ren to accept Kyoko's money.

Kyoko couldn't blame her. Ren Tsuruga was a very handsome man, with a genial smile that was likely to cause love at first sight. The probable inevitable remark of everyone who chanced to meet him for five minutes was, 'what a delightful man'.

She stole a glance at him. His eyelashes were long and thick; she could only imagine how soft his lips were. Her gaze soon traveled down to his neck and she was instantly reminded of his topless body, his curved back and lithe muscular form. Ren Tsuruga was definitely God's favorite.

"Mogami-san, are you okay? Your face is turning red," he suddenly asked with worry in his tone.

She had to push the breath through her lungs as she saw him looking down at her. Their faces were so close, his eyes direct and warm at the same time. Happiness was swelling in her chest, making her smile meekly at him, but it emerged with shyness. She knew she was blushing scarlet red now but she was struggling not to give away her feelings.

Her voice dropped an octave and swiftly she fanned herself. "It's really warm in here."

"Your order is ready," said the cashier as she passed Kyoko the lunch box.

"I can carry it for you," Ren offered his assistance with grace and took the lunch box from her hands.

"Th-thank you."

They started leaving the cafeteria to deliver Mori-san's lunch. During their quiet walk, Kyoko's heart started racing again, thinking about Ren, of how sweet he had been with her. He was such a gentleman, she wasn't used to such courtesy. Before long, they arrived at what appeared to be a talk-show set and they waited outside the glass door. A woman who appeared to be in her late thirties saw them and came out of the room to meet them.

"You must be the Love Me Section member. I can spot you from down the hallway," she ridiculed Kyoko's uniform. "Where's my lunch?"

"I have your lunch here, Mori-san," Ren passed the lunch box to her with both hands.

"Oh my, Tsuruga! You're looking good as always!" Kyoko was expecting such a reaction from the woman, but what she didn't expect was the death glare she received next. "And you! How dare you have Tsuruga carry my lunch for you?!"

"I…"

"What did you get me for lunch?" Mori-san opened the lid to peer inside the box. Although her expression was unreadable, her voice sounded a lot calmer. "You got me chicken."

"Yes…yes I did!" For a moment, Kyoko felt hope rise in her heart as she didn't fail her first assignment. "I got you chicken teriyaki rice! It's one of the popular dishes in the cafeteria!"

"A popular dish, huh? Guess I really should give you a score now. Where's your notepad and stamps?"

Kyoko eagerly passed the plastic box to Mori-san, excited to receive her first score. She felt like a student waiting patiently for her homework to be marked by teachers all over again. The moment she received the mini notepad back, she saw the first page stamped with _'-10% You're No Good'._

"Huh? What the heck! Why did I get a score like this?!" she yelped.

"You want to know why?" The woman crossed her arms.

Kyoko wasn't only baffled, she was _livid_. "Yes the hell I do!"

"It's because Mori-san is a vegetarian." Ren's unexpected response made her inhale sharply again, but with irritation this time.

"So you knew!" Kyoko gasped breathlessly. She did not believe, even in the face of all the evidence, that she had been tricked.

"Exactly! I'm a vegetarian and you bought me chicken! Do you even have a clue of what you're doing? You are completely useless!" The woman shouted before storming back into the room.

"Mo-Mori-san," Kyoko tried to call after her. "I'm so sorry! I really didn't kno-"

A chuckle caused her to look up. Ren gave her a satisfied smile. "You deserved it."

"You tricked me on purpose, didn't you?" she said, annoyed, feeling her cheeks flush with chagrin.

"How did I trick you? I only made a comment and never once did I tell you to get the chicken teriyaki rice."

"The way of how you insinuated it was the same as tricking me!"

His mouth curved, as if she'd said something funny. "It is your responsibility to take your work seriously. Even for a task as small as buying lunch, you should have done your research and found out Mori-san's preference and dietary restrictions first."

"Y-you…you!" Kyoko stuttered helplessly, she was at a complete loss for words.

He turned on his heels and waved his hand in the air dismissively as he walked back in same the direction they had come from. "From now on, pay attention and do your best…so you don't earn any more penalty points."

She watched his retreating back with a mixture of bewilderment and anger. But she loathed herself even more for even being attracted and drawn to him in the first place. Why did he pull a prank on her anyway?! Was it because she hadn't known nor heard of him before? Was his pride hurt? Had he felt humiliated and so reacted with rage? Whatever stupid motives he may have had, he was acting childish about the whole damn thing! Truly, Ren Tsuruga was the devil in disguise.

And it would be best if she stayed out of the devil's way from now on.

 **X X X**

 **AUTHOR NOTE:**

I am truly sorry for the long delay. I really have no excuse to justify myself. I've simply lost the motivation to write due to my busy personal life and work, and I apologize for that *sweatdrops*.

But thank to my recent trip to Japan, I found the inspiration to write again! Visiting castles and shrines have really helped me to get back into the mood lol. It was my first time visiting Japan and I will definitely go there again.

I do want to sincerely thank the readers who have been following this story patiently. I may update the chapters out slower than many authors but I can promise that I will not give up my stories. I will also try to post new chapters more frequently, no more long breaks like the last one. In fact, I will be updating the next few chapters of this fic soon as a compensation!

At last, Kyoko and Ren finally met but I guess it wasn't what you guys were expecting, huh? Lol sneaky Ren.

Sho will also make his appearance in the next chapter and that means hell will break loose! Stay tune and find out what will happen next!


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